Home is Where the Heart Is
by Xtreme Gamer
Summary: Misty needs Ash more than ever after learning a horrible truth from her past. Pokéshipping, AAML
1. Learning the Truth

Okay. I'd like to start off by saying I do not own Pokémon or any of characters associated with it. All I own is this story.

**Chapter 1: Learning the Truth**

It was a typical day for the inhabitants of the Pokémon world. The people went about their daily routines as did the Pokémon. Everyone had places to go and things to do. This couldn't be more true for Pokémon trainer Ash Ketchum. Despite his recent victory and induction into the Battle Frontier Hall of Fame he still felt the need to prove himself. This could be contributed to his loss to his long-time rival Gary Oak after his return home. Right now he was in a small port town south of Pallet Town, waiting for the ship that would take him to the Sinnoh region to start boarding. On his shoulder sat Pikachu, his first Pokémon and most trusted ally.

"I can't wait to get to Sinnoh!" he said. "How about you, buddy?"

"Pika! (Yeah!)" the small electric mouse replied. Ever since hearing about the Sinnoh region from Gary the two of them have been eager to set out for it. They wasted no time in booking themselves on the first ship they could find heading there. Now they were only a few short minutes away from setting out on a new adventure.

**"Attention please! All passengers leaving for Sinnoh please make your way to Gate 9! I repeat! All passengers leaving for Sinnoh please make your way to Gate 9! Thank you!"**

"This is it, Pikachu! A new journey awaits!" Ash cheered. As the two of them made their way towards their gate Nurse Joy approached them.

"Excuse me. Would your name be Ash Ketchum?" she asked.

"It is," he replied. "Is there something wrong?"

"You have a call at the Pokémon Center," Nurse Joy replied. Ash had no idea who would be calling him now. Both his mother and Professor Oak knew that his ship was leaving today.

"Where's it from?" he asked.

"I believe it's from Cerulean City," she replied. "You better hurry. It sounded really urgent." When Nurse Joy said the call was from Cerulean City Ash's first thought was that Misty was calling to wish him good luck in Sinnoh. But when she said the call sounded urgent he began to worry.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy," he said as he ran off towards the Pokémon Center.

"I've got a bad feeling about this, Pikachu," he said.

"Pi Ka Chu, Pikapi (So do I, Ash)," Pikachu replied.

* * *

It didn't take long for Ash and Pikachu to arrive at the Pokémon Center. Once there he found the videophone with the call that was for him. He picked up the receiver, expecting to see Misty. What he saw was Daisy, Misty's older sister.

"Ash! Thank goodness we caught you in time," she said.

"Is something wrong, Daisy? Nurse Joy said it was urgent," he said.

"Well…,"

"Daisy, what's wrong? Is something with Misty?"

"…"

When Daisy didn't answer immediately Ash's worry started to grow. Her silence was enough to tell him that whatever was wrong was serious for them to call him.

"Daisy, tell me! Did something happen to Misty?" he asked again.

"…"

"Daisy!"

"Yes… in a way," she finally said.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"It's… not really my place to say," Daisy replied.

"Why not?" Ash asked, growing more worried with each passing second.

"Listen Ash. I know you're supposed to be heading to Sinnoh now, but I… Misty really needs you here," she answered. That was all he needed to hear. One thing about Ash that always stayed a constant was his need to always put others before himself.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," he said.

"Thanks, Ash," Daisy said. Ash hung up and quickly made his way outside.

"Pi Kachu Chuka? (What about Sinnoh?)" Pikachu asked.

"I can't go there now, not with Misty in trouble," Ash replied. "I'm going to have to put that on hold." He reached down to his Poké ball and took one containing one of his oldest friends.

"I choose you, Charizard!" He threw the ball out, calling on his powerful ally. The massive dragon appeared, his tail flame blazing in all its glory. Truth be told Ash couldn't have been happier when he found out that Charizard's training at the Charisific Valley was complete. Since his return he's become a vital member of Ash's battling team, often times winning entire battles on his own.

"Okay, Charizard! We need to get to Cerulean City, fast!" Ash said. Charizard nodded and let Ash climb on. With Pikachu safely tucked away inside his backpack he hung on as Charizard took to the skies towards Cerulean City.

* * *

The mood at the Cerulean City Gym couldn't be described as anything else but gloomy. With Lily and Violet constantly away taking care of official Gym business out of town Daisy was left to attempt to solve the crisis on her own. Unfortunately there was nothing she could do. The only hope she had of getting through to Misty was in the hands of the trainer who was on his way there.

"Please Misty. You have to come out of there sooner or later," Daisy pleaded with her younger sister. But she got no response.

"I know you probably still upset with us for this, but you could at least yell at us or something. Come on, this silent treatment is killing us." She waited, but again got no response. She was about to try again when the sound of large wings flapping was head outside followed by a command of "Charizard, return!" and the sounds of a Pokémon being called back inside its Poké ball.

_"Good, he's here!"_ Daisy hurried downstairs and opened the door.

"I'm glad you're here, Ash," she said.

"Where is she?" Ash asked.

"Upstairs in her room," Daisy answered. "She's been up there for the past week. She won't come out for anything outside of eating. Everyone's real worried about her, especially the Pokémon"

"But why? Why would she do that?" Ash asked.

"It's a real delicate situation, one that I, Lily and Violet are responsible for," she replied. She could tell that Ash was confused by what she just said. Before he could ask her what she meant she cut him off.

"Please Ash, go talk to her. You're our last hope." The urgency in her voice told Ash not to waste anymore time. He nodded and quickly made his way upstairs.

* * *

Misty's room was just as anyone would expect of a Water Pokémon trainer. Almost everything was blue and had something to do with either water or Water Pokémon. The walls and carpeting were blue. Her bed was covered in Marill-print sheets. Posters of various Water Pokémon decorated the walls, ranging from the cute and loveable Squirtle to the mighty Gyarados. But despite the overall cheeriness of the room its lone occupant was feeling as blue as the wall paint. Misty sat at her desk, he face buried in her hands.

"Why did this happen to me? Why?" she asked herself. As she sat there she heard the door to her room open. Figuring that it was Daisy she remained silent, not even turning around. But then…

"Pikachupi? (Misty?)" Misty lifted her head, not really believing that she heard what she did.

_"It… can't be! He's supposed to be on a ship heading for Sinnoh right now!"_ She was sure she was hearing things, until a small yellow mouse jumped up on her desk in front of her.

"P-Pikachu!" The small Electric Pokémon smiled, glad to have gotten a response out of her. Misty was shocked to say the least.

"What are you doing here? I thought you and Ash were…"

"…on our way to Sinnoh?" Misty spun towards the source of the voice. There, her eyes saw the last person she expected to see there.

"Ash!"

"It's good to see you, Misty," he said. Ash stood there for a while, taking in her shocked expression. However, he also noticed that, though her face portrayed a shocked expression, her eyes were filled with much sadness. It was also obvious that she had been crying, streaks of dry tears cascading down her face.

"W-What are you doing here? Did your ship to Sinnoh get delayed or something?" she asked.

"No. The ship was on time," he answered.

"Then why are you here?" Misty asked.

"Daisy called me and told me you needed me," he answered. At the mention of Daisy's name Misty's head moved down and she turned back to her desk. Pikachu had long since jumped down and had made his way back to Ash's shoulder.

"Misty, what's wrong?" Ash asked.

"Why don't you ask 'her'," Misty answered. Ash could tell by the sound of her voice that whatever the problem was Daisy was at the center of it.

"I did," he said. "She said it wasn't her place to tell me."

"So, she still intends on trying to keep it a secret," Misty said.

"Keep what a secret? What's going on, Misty?" Ash asked. Misty didn't want to talk about it, but she knew he wasn't going to leave until she did. If there was one thing about Ash she knew would never change it was his stubbornness.

"It's… uh…"

"Please Misty. I want to help you," Ash said, encouraging her to open up to him. Despite that Misty is still finding it difficult to speak of the problem.

"I… I-I cant!" Misty cried, fresh tears streaming down her face. Ash walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright, Misty," he said, trying his best to comfort the crying girl. Her crying eventually died down.

"Whenever you feel like telling me I'll be here." With that Ash started to walk towards her bedroom door. Just as he gripped the knob to walk out…

"Alright. I'll tell you." He turned back and smiled before walking to her side once again.

"Okay. Now, just take it slow. What happened that made you want to shut yourself in your room for the past week?" he asked.

"Well… it all happened a week ago, but I'm sure you could figure that out on your own," she said. Ash simply nodded.

"I was helping Daisy clean the gym. We had gotten a bunch of boxes out of one of the storage rooms. I found a picture… or at least half of a picture in one of the boxes."

"What was it of?" Ash asked.

"It… was of me, back when I was about five or so, and a woman holding me," she said. "But that's not what was so bad about it…" At this point Ash could tell that it was stating to get hard for her to keep going. He once again placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Go on," he said.

"In the picture… the woman holding me… she was holding a Gym badge… and…" By now the tears were threatening to come out again. But Ash had to know the truth. He had to know what was causing her so much grief and pain.

"What about the badge?" he asked. What Misty did next caught him by surprise. She got out of her chair and threw herself into Ash, crying into his chest. Ash did the only thing he could think of in this situation. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as she cried.

"I don't belong here, Ash!" she cried.

"But why not? This is where you live. It's where your family is," he said.

"No it's not!" she cried.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"This isn't my family! I'm not a Waterflower!" That sudden outburst shocked Ash more than one of Pikachu's Thunderbolts ever could. Rather than ask her to explain he decided to get the story from Daisy later. Right now his only concern was calming Misty down.

"It's okay. Everything's going to be okay," he said. As he held Misty he began to think of how hectic things would get later on.

* * *

What started off as anticipation for a new journey has quickly turned into a need for Ash to comfort his long-time friend Misty after learning a horrible truth. If she's not a Waterflower then why is she there? Who is her real family? Find out in the next chapter of **Home is Where the Heart Is**!

Please review


	2. Accepting and Forgiving

You know, I never thought this fic would create the buzz it is. Now, for a few things I forgot to mention at the beginning of the first chapter. "This" is normal speak. _"This"_ is character thoughts. (This) and _(This)_ is Pokémon translation.

And now, on to the second chapter.

**Chapter 2: Accepting and Forgiving**

After a bit of talking Ash was able to convince Misty to confront Daisy about what Misty had told him. The three of them were gathered in the living room area of the Gym. Misty was sitting on the couch across from Daisy. Ash was next to Misty. He had sent Pikachu to go meet the other Pokémon while they talked this out.

"Okay, now that we're all here I want to know exactly what this is all about," Ash said. Misty looked over at Daisy, indicating that it should be her to tell the story. Daisy got the message.

"It all started over 10 years ago. Our parents were on their way back to the Gym from a party they attended. They were driving along the beach when they spotted a large group of Water Pokémon gathered around something. Curious they got out and approached them. The Pokémon saw them and moved away. When they got close enough they saw that the Pokémon were gathered around a little girl no older than five."

"I take it that little girl was Misty," Ash said. Daisy nodded before continuing.

"Our parents immediately brought her back to the Gym. They clothed and fed her, and after a while she regained her strength," Daisy explained

"Did they try to find out who she was?" Ash asked.

"They tried, but she didn't have any identification on her and she didn't have any idea who she was or where she came from."

"What about her name. Why did they name her Misty?" Ash asked.

"While she slept she kept saying 'Misty… Misty…' over and over again. Our parents figured that was her name." Misty had been silent this entire time, taking in the entire story involving her arrival at the Cerulean Gym all those years ago.

"Did your parents ever try to find Misty's real parents?" Ash asked. Daisy lowered her head.

"No," she answered. Misty was shocked. She was almost certain that they would have tried to reunite her with her family. The fact they didn't filled her with anger.

"Well, I'm sure they at least came here looking for her," Ash said.

"I'm… not sure," Daisy replied. "Some people did come here asking about a lost girl, but our parents never did tell them about Misty."

"Why not?!" She asked, anger clearly filling her voice. Daisy opened her mouth to answer, but quickly closed it. This only fueled Misty's anger.

"Well?!" Misty asked. Again Daisy didn't reply.

"I have a right to know! Now tell me! Why didn't they try and find my real parents?! Why didn't they want me to go back to my real home?!"

"Because they loved you!" Daisy's sudden outburst surprised both Misty and Ash.

"The reason they didn't try to find your real parents was because while they were nursing you back to health they became attached to you. During that time they accepted you as their own daughter." Now it was Daisy's turn to cry. Though she tried she couldn't fight back the tears as she spoke.

"They were afraid that if you ever found out who your real parents were you'd leave," she said. During this Misty's anger was slowly replaced with understanding.

"You know I'd never do that, Daisy," she said.

"I know, but our parents didn't want to take any chances," Daisy said. "A few years ago, once Lily, Violet and I were old enough to take care of the Gym on our own, they made us promise never to tell you about this. I felt bad about it, but agreed anyway. Oh Misty, I'm so sorry." Daisy buried her face in her hands, ashamed of herself for keeping this secret from Misty. Misty got up, went to Daisy and hugged her.

"No, Daisy. I'm the one that should be sorry," Misty said. "You were just looking out for me and I overreacted."

"So… does that mean… you… forgive us?" Daisy asked.

"Of course I do. I could never stay mad at you," Misty replied. Watching the scene in front of him Ash got the feeling that they wanted some time alone. He got up from the couch and headed out of the room.

"I think I'll go check on Pikachu and the other Pokémon," he said.

"Okay," Misty said. "And Ash…"

He stopped and turned around.

"… Thank you."

He smiled before leaving the room.

* * *

That night things seemed to be back to normal. Even though Misty seemed to be taking the situation better Ash still remained at the Gym just in case. Everyone else had turned in for the night, but Ash was still awake. The events of the day had filled his thoughts. 

_"I'm glad Misty is back to her old self,"_ he thought.

"Pikapi? Pi Ka Pika? (Ash? You still awake?)" Pikachu asked.

"Yeah," he answered.

"Pi Chu Pi Ka Chu (I bet I know why)," the small mouse said.

"Oh yeah? Try me," Ash challenged.

"Pi Pikachupi, Pi Ka (It's Misty, isn't it)," Pikachu answered. Ash was going to deny it, but over the years he learned that he couldn't hide anything from Pikachu no matter how hard he tried. He nodded.

"Pika Chu Pi Chupi Cha Pi Ka? (When are you going to tell her?)" he asked.

"I don't know," Ash replied.

"Pi Ka Chu? (Why not now?)" Pikachu asked.

"I can't. What if she doesn't feel the same," Ash replied.

"Pi ka Pi Chu? (What if she does?)" It was the response he was expecting. It was the same back when they were still traveling together. No matter how much he denied it or how afraid he was of Misty rejecting his feelings Pikachu would always make him question whether his fear of rejection was his alone.

"Pika Chu Kachu Ka Pi Pika Chu Pi Chu (There's no proof that she doesn't feel the same)," Pikachu said.

"Well even is she does the timing's not right," Ash said.

"Pika? (Timing?)"

"Yeah, timing," Ash said. "If I try anything now it'll look like I'm taking advantage of her in her time of weakness and I can't do that." Pikachu understood where Ash was coming from, but he also knew how long Ash had put this off.

"Pi Ka Chu Ka Cha Pi Ka Kachu Chu Cha (If you don't tell her soon you might lose her)," he said.

"I know that," Ash said. "I'll tell her when the time's right."

"Pi Chu Pi Ka Cha? (But when will that be?)"

"I don't know, buddy," Ash said.

"Pika, Pi Chu Pikachu Pi: Pi Pika Chu Pi, Pi Kachu Pi Cha (Okay, but just remember this: The longer you wait, the harder it gets)," Pikachu said. With that the small mouse went to sleep. Ash stayed up a bit longer, thinking about what Pikachu had just said.

_"I don't want to wait too long, but I don't want to act too quickly… oh man. What am I going to do?"_ After not coming up with an answer after a few minutes he decided to go to sleep and think on this another time.

* * *

The mood the next morning was a pleasant change to the one Ash found when he first arrived at the Gym yesterday. Misty and Daisy were once again acting like sisters and things seemed to be back to normal. 

"Morning, girls," Ash said.

"Pi Pika! (Good morning!)"

"Good morning Ash, Pikachu," Daisy said.

"Morning," Misty added.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Daisy asked.

"Well, it'll be a while before another ship heading for the Sinnoh region arrives. I was thinking that I'd stick around here for a while," Ash replied.

"You more than welcome to stay as long as you need," Daisy said. Ash thanked her for her hospitality.

"Um, Daisy. Did… 'they'… ever tell you anything about that picture?" Misty asked.

"Did 'who' tell me anything?" Daisy asked, not knowing who Misty was talking about.

"You know…"

"She means your parents," Ash said. Daisy looked at Misty questioningly at first, but soon realized what she meant. Ever since finding out that they weren't her real parents Misty had a hard time calling Daisy, Lily and Violet's parents her parents.

"They didn't say much other than you were holding onto it like it was some kind of lifeline," she replied.

"Would you mind if I saw the picture?" Ash asked.

"If it's alright with Misty," Daisy replied. Misty nodded. Daisy went into the kitchen and came out seconds later holding a small photo.

"Here it is," she said. She handed it to Ash. Just as Misty had said the picture had her in it with a woman holding what looked like a Gym badge.

"What are you looking for?" Daisy asked.

"That Gym badge. It looks familiar, but it's too small for me to make out," he said.

"I know. It doesn't look like a Kanto Gym badge to me, but it's too small for me to make out what Gym it's from," Daisy said. "Too bad there's no one we can call who's an expert when it come to photography." As soon as she said that Ash's eyes lit up.

"Or maybe there is," he said.

"Who?" Daisy asked.

"Of course! Todd!" Misty said, referring to the Pokémon photographer she and Ash had met on multiple occasions during their travels.

"If anyone can help us with this picture it's him," Ash said.

"But we don't know where he is, and if we did how would we contact him?" Misty asked. Ash smiled and took out a small yellow device.

"I guess it's a good thing I had Max show me how to use this thing before he and May headed back to Hoenn," he said. Misty and Daisy looked on as Ash searched through his Pokénav for Todd's number.

"Ah ha! Found it," he said. Seconds later Ash was waiting for Todd to answer. It didn't take long.

"Hello. Todd speaking."

"Hey, Todd. It's Ash."

"What's up, Ash? How's Sinnoh?" Todd asked.

"I don't know. I haven't left yet," Ash replied.

"Why not? Didn't your ship leave yesterday?" Todd asked.

"Yeah, but something came up," Ash replied. "Listen, I need a favor. Where are you right now?"

"Cinnibar Island. Why?" Todd asked.

"How soon can you get to Pallet Town?" Ash asked.

"Well, I could be there by the end of the week. Why?" the Pokémon photographer asked.

"I need your help with something," Ash replied.

"Is it important?" Todd asked.

"Very," Ash replied, putting as much emphasis as he could into what he was saying. Apparently Todd got the message.

"Okay, I'll meet you in Pallet," he said.

"Good. I'll see you there." Ash hung up and turned to Misty and Daisy.

"Okay. With any luck he'll be able to help us get a clearer picture of the badge in this picture," he said.

"So how soon do you need to leave?" Daisy asked.

"He's not going to be there for a few more days, but I should head back soon and explain everything to my mother and Professor Oak. They're expecting me to be on my way to Sinnoh right now," Ash explained.

"You could call them now and let them know what happened," Daisy said. Ash slapped his head in frustration. He couldn't believe he didn't think of that sooner. Daisy directed him to the Gym's videophone. Once he was out of the room Misty got up.

"Daisy, I think I'm going to go with Ash," she said. Daisy was expecting her to say that, but it still shocked her a bit.

"I… I understand," she said.

"Listen, it's not you or anything. I just… I need to find out… who my real family is," Misty explained. Daisy shook her head.

"You don't have to explain anything, Misty," she said. "I guess this means you'll be taking your Pokémon with you."

"All of them except Caserin," she said, referring to her Luvdisc.

"Why Caserin?" Daisy asked.

"Well, you'll need him for your water shows," Misty explained. "And besides, I couldn't take him away from Luverin. Hew cares for her too much for me to separate them now. I'll miss him, but this is for the best." Daisy understood Misty's desire and agree.

"I'll take good care of him," she said.

"I know you will," Misty said. Right then Ash walked back in.

"Well, my mom was a little surprised, but she was okay with me staying in Pallet Town for a while," he said.

"Ash, I'm going with you," Misty said. This was something he wasn't expecting.

"You are? Why?" he asked.

"Come on, Ash. This is all about me, isn't it? My need to find my real family, right? Why wouldn't I want to come with you?" She was right, after all, and Ash knew there wasn't anything he could say to her to make her change her mind.

"Okay. I guess I'll have to call her back and tell her that you're coming too," he said.

"I'll take care of that," Daisy said. "You two have enough to worry about as it is."

"Thanks, Daisy," Ash said. "Well, when did you want to leave?"

"We can go as soon as I get my things," Misty replied.

"Okay. I'll be waiting outside," Ash said. As Misty got up to go gather what she would be taking with her Ash approached Daisy. He could tell that she was feeling a bit sad with Misty leaving.

"Don't worry. I'll take good care of her," he said.

"I know, but it's not that," Daisy said. "This is a secret I've been keeping for years, one that I should have never agreed to keep in the first place."

"You only did what you thought was best for Misty at the time," Ash said. "She realizes that now."

"I know, but still… I should have been honest with her in the beginning, no matter how difficult it would have made things," Daisy said. Ash walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I know you feel bad about it, but don't beat yourself up over it," he said. "Misty's forgiven you, now you need to forgive yourself." With that said he headed towards the Gym entrance.

"Tell Misty I'm waiting out front," he said. Daisy gave him an okay. Once Ash stepped outside Daisy began to think about what he just said.

_"Maybe he's right. Maybe I should forgive myself for this."_ At that moment Daisy decided not to let her mistakes of the past ruin her future with Misty.

* * *

30 minutes later Misty finally walked out in front of the Cerulean City Gym where Ash and Daisy were waiting. 

"I was wondering what was taking you so long," Ash said.

"I had a lot of things to pack," Misty replied. "So, how do you plan on getting us to Pallet Town?"

"Through the air," Ash said. Misty was slightly surprised by his answer.

"The air? But how? If my memory serves me correctly Pidgeot is still patrolling Viridian Forest," she said.

"He is, but he's not the one we'll be flying on," Ash replied. Before Misty could ask him who Ash took out a Poké ball and called out Charizard. Misty was surprised to se the large orange dragon.

"When did Charizard come back?!" she asked.

"A few months ago, back when I was challenging Brandon at the Battle Pyramid," Ash explained. "Liza said his training in the Charisific Valley was complete a month ago, but he stayed around to spend more time with Charla. After a while Charla convinced Charizard to come find me."

"Well I can say it's great to see Charizard again," Misty said. Charizard let out a pleasing growl. Ash then climbed on his back and extended his hand.

"Come on," he said. Misty walked up and took his hand as he helped her up on Charizard's back. Pikachu, of course, was safely tucked away in Ash's backpack.

"Hold on tight," Ash said. Misty wrapped her arms around his waist. As he felt her wrap her arms around him and press her body against his back a tingling sensation went up Ash's spine. It was brief, but it felt good. As soon as it passed he was brought back to reality.

"Okay, Charizard! To Pallet Town!" The might dragon let out a roar before flapping his wings and taking to the sky. Daisy waved to the departing trainers.

"Goodbye! Take care of yourselves!" she called.

"So long, Daisy! I'll keep in touch!" Misty called back. "Tell Lily and Violet thanks for everything! I'll always love you guys! Goodbye… sis!" With those final words Charizard sped off towards Pallet Town. Daisy stood in front of the Gym, tears in her eyes.

"Goodbye… baby sister…"

* * *

With only a picture of what is believed to be of Misty's family to go on the duo heads to Pallet Town to hopefully find answers. Will they find them? And will Ash ever find the right time to tell Misty how he feels about her? Find out in the next chapter of **Home is Where the Heart Is**!

Please review


	3. Where the Truth Lies

**Chapter 3: Where the Truth Lies**

The flight to Pallet Town didn't take that long. One hour after leaving Cerulean City they landed in front of the Ketchum household. After returning Charizard Ash and Misty walked up to the front door. Just as Ash was about to knock on the door Misty stopped him.

"Did you tell you mom why we're here?" she asked.

"No. I didn't know if you wanted me to," Ash replied. "I'm sure she's going to ask though. What should we tell her?"

"The truth," Misty replied. "I got hurt when the truth was hidden from me. I won't let that mistake happen a second time." Ash nodded in understanding and knocked on the door. Seconds later Mimey, his mother's Mr. Mime, opened the door.

"Mr. Mime! Mr. Mime! (Ash! Misty!)"

"Hi, Mimey. Is Mom home?" Ash asked.

"Mime, Mr. Mime. (Yeah, come in)" Mimey stepped to the side, letting Ash and Misty inside. Pikachu poked his head out of Ash's backpack and, seeing where they were, jumped out and immediately headed towards the kitchen.

"Off for ketchup?" Misty asked.

"He's still addicted to the stuff," Ash replied.

"Mimey, who was at the door?" a voice asked from another room. Ash could recognize that voice anywhere.

"It's me, Mom!" he replied. Seconds later his mother walked in.

"Ash! Misty! I'm so glad you made it here safely," Delia said. "Daisy called ahead and told me you were coming." She approached the two and gave them a motherly hug.

"It's great to see you again, Mrs. Ketchum," Misty said.

"It's great to see you as well, dear," Delia said, "but, why are you here? And why aren't you on your way to Sinnoh now, Ash?" The mood immediately went somber.

"It's a long story, Mom," Ash said.

"He's right. You might want to have a seat," Misty added. Delia obliged, sensing that this was indeed something serious. There , with Ash's help, Misty retold the painful events of the past week. Delia was shocked beyond belief.

"…and that's what brought us here," Misty said, desperately trying to fight back the tears. Delia walked up to Misty and hugged her.

"Oh Misty. I'm so sorry to hear that," she said. "That must have been so hard for you."

"It was, but then Ash showed up and helped me get through it," Misty said.

"That's my Ash," Delia said, sending a smile his way. Ash returned her smile.

"So, your friend said he'd be here by the end of the week right?" Delia asked.

"That's right," Misty said. "We were planning on waiting for him here, that is, if it's not too much trouble."

"Of course it's no trouble, Misty. You two are welcome to stay as long as you need," Delia said. "Just let me get the guest room prepared and…"

"If it's alright with you, Mom, I'd like Misty to stay in my room with me," Ash said. Misty and Delia both gave Ash looks. He quickly figured out what they were thinking.

"No, no! Nothing like that! It's just in case Misty needs me or anything I'll be there close by!" he said quickly. The two of them giggled slightly, finding Ash's reaction to be quite humorous.

"Don't worry, dear. I knew what you meant," Delia said. "Of course Misty can stay in your room."

"Thank you, Mrs. Ketchum," Misty said.

"Come on. I'll help you with your things," Ash said. Just as he was about to go help Misty Delia noticed something.

"Ash, where's Pikachu?" Just then they all heard the sound of feet scampering across the floor in the kitchen.

"I'd say he's just finishing his bottle of ketchup," Ash replied. Sure enough Pikachu came out of the kitchen, his face covered in ketchup.

"Pikachu, couldn't you have cleaned yourself up a bit?" Ash said. Pikachu had no idea what Ash meant. He thought he was clean. Delia walked over and picked up the small mouse.

"I'll take care of him, dear. You just help Misty get herself situated," she said. Ash thanked his mom and went back to helping bring her things inside.

* * *

The days went by quicker than anyone thought. Pretty soon the end of the week had arrived. Ash and Misty were outside playing with their Pokémon. Pikachu, Corsola and Azurill were playing a game of tag while Charizard was exchanging training tips with Gyarados and Sceptile. Staryu, Starmie, Corphish and Horsea were having a 'water war' and Swellow and Torkoal were resting underneath one of the trees in the yard. Even Psyduck was behaving himself. For the most part the day was going by without incident.

"I haven't had this much fun in a long time," Misty said.

"I know. It feels good to just be able to relax and have fun with the Pokémon instead of training all the time," Ash said. While this was going on Delia stepped outside.

"Ash, Professor Oak just called," she said. "He said your friend just arrived at his lab."

"Okay, Mom. We'd better head on over there," he said. He and Misty recalled all their Pokémon except Pikachu and Azurill and headed on towards Professor Oak's research lab.

"I hope Todd can help us," Ash said.

"So do I," Misty added.

* * *

It took them about 20 minutes to walk from the Ketchum home to Professor Oak's lab. Once they reached the front door Ash knocked. Shortly after their friend Tracey, a Pokémon watcher and Professor Oak's assistant, answered.

"Hey, guys! It's been a while," he said.

"Yeah, it has," Ash replied.

"Good to see you again, Tracey," Misty said.

"Pi Ka! (Hey there!)" After the greetings Tracey led them inside. He showed them to the living room, where Professor Oak and Todd were already waiting.

"Hello, you two," Oak said.

"Hi, Professor," Ash and Misty said.

"It's been a long time, Ash," Todd said, extending his hand.

"Too long if you ask me," Ash said as he shook his hand.

"So, what did you need me for?" Todd asked. Misty took out the photo and handed it to him.

"We wanted to see if you could get us a clear look at the Gym badge in that woman's hand," she said.

"Sure," Todd said. "Professor, do you have a picture scanner?"

"Of course," Oak replied. He showed Todd to one of the computers. Luckily the scanner was still hooked up to it. Todd quickly scanned the picture, bringing the image up on the screen. He focused on the woman and zoomed in.

"Okay, the picture's going to look a bit fuzzy at first but it should clear up after a few seconds," he said. Everyone patiently waited as the picture slowly smoothed out. After a few seconds the group could make out everything perfectly.

"There. How's that?" Todd asked.

"Alright, let's see," Misty said. She looked at the badge in the woman's hand. Thought the picture was now enlarged enough for her to make out the badge she didn't recognize it.

"Daisy was right. This isn't one of the Kanto Gym badges," she said. "Do you guys recognize it?"

"It doesn't look like one from the Orange Islands," Tracey said.

"And I haven't seen one like that while I was traveling through Johto," Todd said. Ash took a closer look at the badge. It looked very familiar to him.

_"Where have I seen that badge before?"_ he thought. Just then, it hit him.

"I got it!" he yelled, startling everyone in the room.

"What is it, Ash?" Oak asked. Without answering Ash ran out of the room.

"Wait! Where are you going?!" Misty asked.

"I'll be back in 30 minutes!" was his only reply. No one knew why he ran out of there so suddenly.

"Okay, that was unexpected," Todd said.

"Indeed," Oak replied. "While we wait for him to return, why don't you tell us what's going on." Misty sighed, not happy about having to retell her story again.

"Okay, here's the deal…"

* * *

Delia was out front working in her garden. With Ash and Misty at Professor Oak's lab for who knows how long she needed something to keep her occupied. She was so focused that she almost didn't see Ash running back towards the house.

"Mom! Hey Mom!" he yelled.

"Ash! What is it? Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Where are my Hoenn badges?" he asked.

"There inside," Delia replied. "Why?"

"I think I may know where Misty's real family is," he said. Delia wasted no time in getting the badges from inside. She quickly found the case she put them in and gave it to Ash.

"Thanks, Mom," he said before running back the way he came towards Professor oak's lab. As Delia watched him go she could only smile.

"Good luck, honey," she said.

* * *

"…and that's the whole story." Misty had just finished retelling the events of the past couple of weeks to Professor Oak, Tracey and Todd. All three were shocked to learn the truth about Misty's family.

"My goodness. I never would have imagined," Oak said.

"Me neither," Todd said.

"Wow. It's a good thing Daisy called Ash," Tracey said.

"Speaking of him I wonder why her ran out like that?" Todd asked. Before anyone could answer Ash ran into the room.

"Sorry… about running out… like that," he said, slightly out of breath. "I had to… get something… from back home."

"That's fine Ash, but next time how about giving us a warning or something," Tracey said. Ash nervously scratched the back of his head before setting the case with his Hoenn badges on the table.

"What's this?" Todd asked.

"These are all the badges I won when I was in Hoenn," Ash explained.

"I see," Oak said. "You think the badge in the picture is among these?"

"I know it is," Ash replied. "In fact…" He opened the case up and took out one of the badges. He held it up so everyone could get a good look at it.

"Ash! That's it! That's the badge!" Misty yelled.

"I know," Ash said.

"Which one is it?" Todd asked.

"It's the Heat Badge," Ash replied.

"What Gym is it from?" Tracey asked.

"The Lavaridge City Gym," Ash said. Misty stared at the badge, tears of happiness in her eyes.

"Ash… do you know what this means?" she said. Ash looked at her and smiled.

"Yeah. It means we know where your family is," he said. She leapt up and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him for all he was worth. This surprised him at first, but Ash then wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back.

"Oh Ash! You have no idea how happy you just made me! Thank you!" she said.

"Anytime, Mist. Anytime," he replied. _"What the?! 'Mist'? Where did that come from?"_ He had no idea what made him call her that. All he knew was that it felt right. Misty was also shocked by that.

_"He called me 'Mist'. I wonder what brought that on?"_ The truth was she liked it. Ash was the first to ever call her that, and as far as she was concerned he was going to be the only one she let call her that. It also got her thinking that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance. She was brought out of her thoughts by a question from Ash.

"So, now that you know where your family is what are you going to do?" he asked.

"What do you think? I'm going there," she replied. Ash smiled and shook his head.

"I should have known," he said.

"And… I would like you to come as well," Misty added. Now this was something he wasn't expecting, the shocked look on his face proof of that.

"Huh? But Misty, why? Not that I wouldn't want to go, but it's just that…"

"Please, Ash? It would make me feel better if you were there by my side when I finally meet them," Misty pleaded. Ash knew he was defeated. In all his life there were two women that he couldn't say no to: his mother and Misty. No matter what the request was he could never bring himself to refuse.

"Alright, I'll go with you," he said. Misty once again threw her arms around him and hugged him.

"Thank you, Ash!" she said. As Ash returned the hug he felt the same tingling sensation going up his spine that he felt when Misty held on to him while they were riding on Charizard flying from Cerulean City.

_"Maybe Pikachu's right. Maybe the time to tell her is now. But… what if it isn't? What if I rush into things and screw up?"_ He decided to wonder about that at a later date. Right now he needed to make traveling arrangements for him and Misty.

"Now that we know where they are I guess we should start looking for a way there," he said.

"How long should that take?" Misty asked.

"Depends on what ships are docking in the port," Ash replied. "It could be a while before we find one heading to Hoenn."

"Oh," she replied. Everyone could tell that she was a bit down. She was so intent on going to Hoenn and finding her family that the news that it may take them longer than they had hoped to get there wasn't exactly welcomed. He walked up and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, cheer up," he said. "It may take us a bit longer but we'll get there." Misty looked at him and smiled. No matter what the situation she could always rely on his warm smile and comforting words to make everything better.

"I know," she replied. "It just… I was hoping to get there as soon as possible." Jus then Tracey stood up.

"I can check and see if there are any leaving soon," he said.

"That'd be great. Thanks Tracey," Ash said. Tracey acknowledged their thanks and went to one of the computer to search for any ships heading to Hoenn.

"So, which port do you want to use, South Pallet or Vermillion?" he asked.

"Either one is fine," Ash replied. With that in mind Tracey began to search for ships that were scheduled for a stop in Hoenn. After a few minutes of searching he came up with some results.

"Okay. I've narrowed it down to two ships," he said. "One is leaving from South Pallet Port tomorrow, but it has to stop at Cinnibar Island and Olivine City before heading to Hoenn." Both Ash and Misty frowned at that.

"That would take about a month or longer to get there," Ash said. "What about the other one?"

"The other one's leaving from Vermillion City," Tracey said. "It leaves in three days for Slateport City in Hoenn, no stops along the way."

"That one would only take a few weeks to arrive," Ash said. He looked at Misty.

"It's your call. Which one do you want?" he asked.

"Well, it may leave at a later date, but I say we take the one from Vermillion," she replied. "I don't want to have any unneeded stops during our trip." Ash nodded and told Tracey to start making traveling arrangements for the two of them.

"Okay. This shouldn't take too long," he said. He typed in a few things. Seconds later two tickets were faxed to them.

"There. Everything's set," he said.

"Wow. That was fast," Ash said as he took the tickets. He handed one to Misty.

"So, we've got three days before our ship leaves," Misty said.

"Yeah. So, what do you want to do until then?" Ash asked.

"I don't know. I didn't have anything planned," Misty replied. "I guess we could just hang out until we have to leave."

"Sounds good to me," Ash said. He and Misty thanked Professor Oak, Tracey and Todd before heading back to the Ketchum household.

* * *

The days went by fast. Soon it was time for Ash and Misty to head to Vermillion City to catch their ship. Ash and Misty were standing in front of the Ketchum house. Delia, Professor Oak, Tracey and Todd were there as well to see them off.

"Well, this is it," Ash said. "We'll be meeting your real family soon."

"Yeah," Misty said. Ash noticed her voice sounded a bit shaky. He looked at her.

"You nervous?" he asked.

"More like anxious," she replied. "I guess the best way to describe it is how you feel right before a big battle." Ash nodded, understanding that feeling all too well. He placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Listen. Try not to think about it so much," he told her. Misty looked at Ash and gave him her 'you've-got-to-be-kidding' look.

"Easier said than done," she replied. "You're not the one about to meet your family for the first time in over 10 years."

"No, but I've seen you do things that were more difficult than this," he replied.

"Oh yeah? Like what," Misty said.

"How about the time you and Brock ran in that tower back in Lavender Town when me and Pikachu didn't come out," Ash said. Misty was slightly surprised that he could come up with one.

"Okay, but that's just one time," she said.

"Alright. How about the time you saved me in the Orange Islands during the battle between Zapdos, Articuno, Moltres and Lugia," Ash said. Now Misty was shocked into silence. She hadn't told Ash that she was the one who dove into the water and pulled him out. When she didn't respond Ash decided to speak up.

"Do I need to keep going?" he asked.

"N-No. T-That's enough," she said, _"although I would like to know who told you that I saved you back in the Orange Islands."_

"Okay. I guess the only thing left to do is to head on over to Vermillion City and catch our ship," Ash said. He threw out a Poké ball, calling on Charizard once again. He climbed on and then helped Misty on.

"Now, are you sure you two are bringing all the Pokémon you need?" Oak asked. They were each bringing four with them. Ash was bringing Pikachu, Charizard, Donphan and Sceptile while Misty was bringing her Azurill, Psyduck, Starmie and Gyarados. The rest of her Pokémon were staying at Professor Oak's research lab for the time being.

"Yeah, we're sure," Ash replied.

"With both Team Aqua and Team Magma disbanded the Hoenn region is much safer," Misty added.

"Not only that but we haven't seen Team Rocket in weeks," Ash said. All this convinced Professor Oak that they were prepared for anything.

"Well, it seems that you two have everything you need," he said.

"You take care," Delia said.

"We will, Mom," Ash said.

"We'll call as soon as we get to Slateport," Misty added. Ash took one look over his shoulder. Pikachu was once again inside his backpack, this time with Misty's Azurill. After saying the rest of the goodbyes, and making sure Misty was holding on, Ash gave Charizard the okay to take off.

"Okay, buddy! To Vermillion City!" he said. With a mighty roar and a flap of his wings Charizard was airborne again. As the dragon flew off towards Vermillion City his two passengers' thoughts were filled with eager anticipation of arriving in Hoenn, and being that much closer to finding Misty's real family.

* * *

The two have finally found their first solid lead on the location of Misty's real family in the form of the Lavaridge City Gym's Heat Badge. With Hoenn being their next destination they head for Vermillion City. How will their search fare? Will they find Misty's real family? Find out in the next chapter of **Home is Where the Heart Is**!

Please review


	4. Home at Last

**Chapter 4: Home at Last**

Ash and Misty arrived in the port city of Vermilion in record time. Thanks to Charizard's quick flying the duo made it in 45 minutes, less time than it took them to fly from Cerulean City to Pallet Town. Arriving at their destination earlier than expected the two took a stroll around the city. Ash was pleased to see that not much had changed since his last stop there nearly five years ago.

"It's just as I remember it," he said, looking around at the different buildings.

"Yeah," Misty added. "If we weren't leaving today I wouldn't mind stopping at a few places."

"I know. I'd love to battle Lt. Surge again," Ash said.

"Pi Ka Chu. Pi Kachu Pi Cha (So would I. His Raichu was strong)," Pikachu said.

"You can say that again," Ash said. The three of them continued their trip down memory lane as they made their way towards the docks.

* * *

Upon arriving at the docks the soon found their ship. While not as large or as luxurious looking as the St. Anne it was an impressive looking cruise ship. The ship, named the SS Neptune, was a relatively new ship that hadn't had many trips out to sea. It had 20 cabins for the passengers, but not much else in terms of trainer accommodations. Still, it was good enough for Ash and Misty. They walked up to the loading ramp and presented their tickets to the captain. He took the tickets, tore off the stub and handed them back. 

"Thank you for choosing to sail aboard the SS Neptune," he said. "Your cabin is #17. I hope you enjoy your trip." As they walked up the ramp the same thought went through both of their heads.

_"Cabin?! As in 'one room'?! I'm going to share a room with Ash/Misty?!"_ The two looked at each other, quickly turning away when they saw the other also looking in order to hide the blush that was creeping on their faces.

_"Oh boy. Tracey, you're so going to get it the next time I see you,"_ Misty said to herself.

_"I wonder if Tracey planned this all along,"_ Ash said to himself. While each trainer was busy in his or her own thoughts Pikachu silently observed from his spot on Ash's shoulder. He was silently hoping that this would be the push Ash needed to finally admit his feelings to Misty. During their silent, thought-filled walk, they somehow made their way to their room.

"Well, we're here," Ash said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah," Misty replied. "Well, let go in." Ash took out the key the captain gave him and opened the door. He then stepped aside rather than go in.

"Ladies first," he said. Misty giggled, amused by Ash's kindness.

"Why thank you," she said as she walked inside. Ash followed her inside. The room was nicely furnished, with a couch, a television and twin-sized bed… uh oh.

_"Only… one bed?"_ Ash said to himself. While he was in thought Misty went into action, throwing her bags on the bed.

"I call the bed!" she announced, breaking Ash out of his trance.

"Hey! Where am I supposed to sleep?!" Ash asked. Misty simply pointed at the couch. He sighed in defeat.

_"I hope it has a fold-out bed,"_ he said to himself.

* * *

Things were quite that night. The ship was well on its way to Slateport City in Hoenn. All of the passengers were inside their cabins, turning in for the night. 

That is, everyone but Ash.

He was once again kept up by his thoughts. Unable to enter dreamland along with the rest of the passengers he decided to take a stroll around the ship. He left the cabin, making sure not to wake Misty in the process, and made his way to the side of the ship. Leaning on the rail he looked down at the ocean, seeing the glowing lights of the Chinchou and Lanturn beneath the waves. Though his eyes were focused on the ocean his mind was in the same place it had been since he arrived in Cerulean City. Turmoil.

"We're so close to finding Misty's real family, but what happens after that? Do I take a chance and tell her… or do I keep silent and let her be happy with them… without me…" Ash held his head in his hands as he tried to figure out the best possible solution.

"Ah! This is driving me crazy!" he yelled. "Why does it have to be so hard?"

"Pika Kachu, Pikapi (That's love, Ash)." Ash turned around and saw his faithful Pikachu standing a few feet away. Ash smiled at him before turning back to look out at the ocean. Pikachu hopped up on the rail right next to Ash.

"Sorry if I woke you," he said.

"Pi Pika Chu Cha (Don't worry about it)," Pikachu said. "Chu, Pikachu Pika Pikachupi Chupi? (So, thinking about Misty again?)" Ash nodded in response.

"She's all I've ever thought about lately," he said. "Ever since we went to Cerulean all those weeks ago I haven't been able to get her off my mind."

"Pichu Pi Cha (Maybe it's time)," Pikachu said. Ash knew just what he meant.

"How can you be so sure, buddy, when I'm not?" he asked.

"Pi Chu Kachu (Call it instinct)," the yellow mouse replied. Ash smiled. If there was one thing about Pikachu that he trusted more than anything it was his instincts. Through their over five year training career Pikachu's instincts had never lead them astray.

"Well, if you say so. But what if…"

"Pi Ka, Pikapi! (No buts, Ash!)" Pikachu interrupted. "Pi Ka Chu Cha Pika Pi Chu Ka Chu (One of these days you'll have to tell her.)" Ash was silent for a bit, letting Pikachu's words sink in. Then, he lifted his head, a familiar look of determination in his eyes.

"You're right, Pikachu! I have to tell her!" he said.

"Pika! (Alright!)" Pikachu cheered.

"Once we get her back to her real family I'm going to tell her how I feel," Ash said.

"Pika, Pi Ka Chu Pi Chu? (Good, but what if you don't?)" Pikachu asked. Ash had to think for a bit. He quickly came up with what he thought was a reasonable deal.

"I'll tell her, and if I don't then you have permission to hit me with the strongest Thunderbolt you can muster," he said. Pikachu's ears shot up.

"Pika? (Really?)" he asked.

"Really," Ash replied. "Call it an insurance policy to guarantee that I don't back out this time." Pikachu saluted him.

"Pi Ka Pi Ka Chu, Pikapi! (You can count on me, Ash!)" Ash smiled at his ever faithful companion. Then, he let out a yawn.

"Now that I've got that taken care of I'm getting sleepy," he said. "Time to head to sleep." Pikachu jumped on his shoulder as he walked back to his and Misty's cabin to get some sleep.

* * *

The remainder of the trip was spent having fun with their Pokémon and catching up on old times. Before they knew it the ship had docked at Slateport City. After gathering their things they made their way off the ship and onto solid ground for the first time in weeks. 

"Well, here we are. Slateport City," Ash said. The two of them took a quick look around. Since it was near noon the sea-side market was in full swing. People filled the streets, going from one shop to the other purchasing food, trinkets and whatever else was being sold. Even though Misty had come to Hoenn once before she didn't dock at Slateport then.

"Wow. This place sure is busy," she said.

"Yeah," Ash replied. "The Slateport market is always busy around this time of day."

"I'll say. I've never seen a place this packed before," she said.

"Say, where did you dock last time you came here?" Ash asked. Misty brought her hand to her chin as she tried to remember.

"I can't recall what the town's name was, but it was somewhere on the west coast of Hoenn," she said. "Nice little town though."

"I can imagine," Ash said. "Well, we should head to the Pokémon Center and call home to let them know we made it safely." Misty agreed as Ash lead them towards the Pokémon Center.

* * *

In a major contrast to the market the Pokémon Center was relatively empty with only a few trainers there waiting for their Pokémon to finish with their check-ups. Ash was sitting at one of the videophones calling home while Misty took his and her Pokémon to be checked-up. He decided to call his mother first as she would be the one who would worry the most. After a few rings his mother answered. 

"Hello, Ketchum residence."

"Hi, Mom," Ash said.

"Ash! It's so good to hear from you again. I take it you two made it to Slateport safely?" Delia replied.

"We did," Ash said.

"That's wonderful. Misty's that much closer to her real home now," Delia said.

"I know. How's everything back home?" Ash asked.

"Daisy called the other day," Delia said. "She wanted to wish you two good luck on your trip."

"I'll have to call and thank her," Ash said. "Did she say how Lily and Violet are handling the fact that Misty won't be around anymore?"

"She said they were shocked at first but they recovered," Delia answered. "She said they send their good wishes as well."

"That's good. I'm glad to hear they're taking it well," Ash said. "Well, I should call Professor Oak and let him know we arrived."

"I can take care of that for you, honey," Delia said.

"Thanks, Mom," Ash said. "Misty's coming back with our Pokémon. We'll be heading out soon."

"Okay, dear," Delia said. "Take care. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom," Ash replied. He ended the call just as Misty walked up to him, Azurill in her arms and Pikachu on her shoulder. Once they were close enough Pikachu jumped from Misty's shoulder to Ash's.

"Nurse Joy said everyone was in top physical condition," she said.

"That's good," Ash said. "So, you ready to head out?"

"How are we going to travel this time?" Misty asked.

"We could either walk their or fly on Charizard," Ash replied. "If we walk it could take a few weeks, or we could be there in a couple of days flying. Which ever one you prefer." Misty thought about it for a bit. While flying would get them there faster she wanted to spend as much time with Ash as she could.

"You know, it may take longer but I'd like to walk there," she said.

"If that's what you want," Ash replied. "Truth is I was hoping you'd want to walk instead of fly."

"You… you were?" she asked, slightly surprised.

"Yeah," Ash said. "There's a lot of places I'd like to show you that I couldn't if we were flying, and… it'd be just like old times, just you and me and our Pokémon." Misty smiled. It was as if Ash had read her mind, for that's the same thing she was thinking.

"Well, we'd better get going," Ash said. "The sooner we leave the sooner we can get to Lavaridge Town and your family."

"Yeah," Misty said. After making sure they had everything they would need for the trip Ash and Misty headed out of the Pokémon Center and towards the northern exit of Slateport City. As they made their way out of the city Ash stole a quick glance at Misty while she wasn't looking. In his eyes there wasn't anyone else he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. The only problem was telling her. He hoped the deal he made with Pikachu would be enough motivation for him.

_"It's either a fear of rejection or a fear of Pikachu's Thunderbolt attack,"_ a voice in his head told him. _"The only question is which do you fear more." _Ash didn't have an answer for that, but he did know one thing.

_"Love is a tough battle to win."_

* * *

The trip from Slateport City to their next stop was more fun than either trainer could have imagined. Along the way Ash showed Misty all the stops he made on his first journey through Hoenn. Their first stop was at the Trick House on Route 110, where he told her of his, Brock, May, and Max's attempt to solve all of its puzzles, defeating Team Rocket and running into their old friend Jigglypuff (she really enjoyed the part where they woke up to find that she had used their faces as a canvas, just like the old days). From there they rented bikes, on Misty's suggestion, and sped down the Cycling Road. Near the end they had a quick race, which Misty won. Ash insisted that he let her win, but Misty didn't believe him for a second. After that they decided to make a stop in Mauville City to replenish their supplies and rest for a few days. During that time Ash was constantly thinking about how he would confess his feeling to Misty. 

"It has to be perfect," he told Pikachu. "She deserves nothing less than that."

"Pika. Pi Chu, Pi Picha. Pika Kachu Pichu Pi Pikachu (Yeah. You know, I'm impressed. You're really taking this seriously)," Pikachu said. Ash smirked at his Pikapal.

"Why wouldn't I? I mean, I really love her. You of all should know that," he said.

"Pi Ka. Pi Ka Kachu Chu Pi Pikachu Ka Chu (I know. I'm just making sure you remember our deal)," Pikachu replied.

"Believe me I haven't forgotten," Ash said.

"Pika (Okay)." With that Pikachu walked off, leaving Ash alone with his thoughts.

_"No, I haven't forgot… but I have no idea how I'm going to tell her either."_ With his thoughts constantly on the redhead Water Pokémon trainer he was traveling with Ash made his way inside the Pokémon Center to join her.

* * *

A few days later Ash and Misty left Mauville City. And once again Ash had stories to tell, from his battles against the Winstrate family to his encounter with Team Aqua and Team Magma atop Mt. Chimney. In fact, as they rode the cable car up to the top of Mt. Chimney Misty spent most of the time admiring the view. Ash also admired the view, but his was a different one than what Misty saw. While Misty was looking at the view down below, Ash was looking right at her. In his opinion she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen and just her presences alone could make anything better. That alone only fueled his desire to be with her and made his need to tell her that much stronger. 

_"Man, she's so beautiful. No matter what I have to tell her… but how?"_ Ash continued to think on the matter, not knowing what he was doing until…

"Ash?" He was brought out of his train of thought by Misty's voice.

"Uh, yeah?" he replied.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked, not knowing what she was talking about.

"You've been staring at me for the last five minutes," Misty replied. "Are you sure you're alright."

"Of course! Never better!" he lied. Misty suspected that he was lying, but rather than press the issue further she decided to let it rest.

"If you say so," she said. She went back to looking out the windows of the cable car at the forest below. Ash let out a sigh of relief, glad she didn't catch on.

_"That was too close, Ketchum. She almost caught me there. I'm going to have to be more careful."_ With that final thought he joined Misty in watching the forest below as the cable car made its way up Mt. Chimney.

* * *

Once at the top it would take them a few days to reach the bottom. From there Lavaridge City was about a days walk away. As they continued on their trip Ash could tell that Misty was getting more and more nervous with each passing second, not that he could blame her. Finally meeting your family after being separated from them for over 10 years was a pretty nervous experience, but he kept reminding her that he would be right by her side the entire time. And every time she would thank him and give him that golden smile he could fall in love with over and over again. After a few days Ash saw the familiar sight of a bridge leading to their next, and hopefully last stop on their journey. 

"We made it! Lavaridge City!" he exclaimed. Misty was soon by Ash's side. Her eyes darted back and forth, looking over the city. Ash knew just what she was looking for.

"You want to head to the Gym now?" he asked. Too excited to speak Misty nodded her head. Ash smiled and held his hand out.

"I'll take you there now," he said. Misty returned Ash's smile and took his hand, letting him lead her to the Lavaridge City Gym and her family.

* * *

Minutes later Ash and Misty were standing in front of the Lavaridge City Pokémon Gym. As they stood there a frustrated trainer came walking out. 

"Oh man! I can't believe I lost to a girl!" He walked by the two trainers, too absorbed in his own anger at his loss to notice them. Once the boy was gone Ash had to let out a laugh he had been holding in. Misty looked at him curiously.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"It's… it's just that… I can't believe he got so upset… abut losing… to a girl!" Ash explained between laughs.

"And there's something funny about losing to a girl? If I recall you've lost to quite a few girls back in the day," Misty said.

"I know, but it was his reaction that I thought was funny," Ash explained. "There's nothing wrong with losing to anyone, let alone a girl. The way I see it anyone can lose to anyone." Misty was surprised to hear Ash speak like that.

_"Wow. When did Ash get so wise with battle conduct?"_ Before she could ask him Ash started walking towards the Gym.

"You coming?" he called. Misty snapped out of her thoughts.

"Y-Yeah… let's go," she said. She made her way to Ash's side as the two of them entered the Lavaridge Gym.

* * *

Inside the Gym Flannery was congratulating her Pokémon for a well-deserved victory. It had taken a group effort but her Torkoal, Magu her Magcargo and Megu her Slugma were all gathered around her as she gave them the praise they all deserved. 

"You guys were awesome out there," she said. "It was tough but you pulled it together and got us the win."

"Tough, you say? Judging by the way your challenger looked when he left it didn't look like it was that tough at all." Flannery stood up and looked towards the sound of the voice. She was happy to see it belonged to an old friend of hers.

"Ash!" She got up and ran to greet him, all three of her Pokémon following close behind.

"It's good to see you again, Flannery," Ash said.

"Pi Ka! (Hi there!)" Pikachu greeted.

"It's great to see you two again," Flannery said. She then noticed Misty standing next to him.

"Who's this?" she asked.

"She's a close friend of mine," Ash said, not wanting to reveal Misty's name just yet. "She's actually the reason we're here."

"What do you mean?" Flannery asked. Before Ash could answer Misty made a suggestion.

"Why don't we head inside," she said.

"Good idea," Ash said. "Pikachu, would you mind staying here with Flannery's Pokémon for a while?"

"Chu Pikachu (No problem)," the small mouse replied. While he went with Flannery's Pokémon Ash, Misty and Flannery made their way inside.

* * *

Ash, Misty and Flannery were all sitting around the table in the living room. Misty was sitting next to Ash, still feeling that she would need his support. Of course Ash was more than glad to give her any and all the support she would need. 

"Okay, now you mind explaining what brought you two out here?" Flannery asked.

"Before I do that I have to know something," Ash said. Flannery agreed to answer his question.

"Do you have any memory of a sister?" Flannery had to admit that the question took her by surprise. That was something she hadn't thought about for years now.

"W-Why do you ask?" she replied.

"Please. It's something we need to know," Misty pleaded. Flannery took a look in Misty's eye. The desperate look told her that her answer was vital for whatever they were there for.

"…yeah, I do," she replied.

"When was the last time you saw her?" Ash asked.

"I… don't remember exactly," she replied. "I'd have to guess it's been over 10 years since I last saw her." Out of the corner of his eye Ash could see Misty's eyes grow bigger. It seemed that their search was finally over, but he needed more proof.

"What happened to her?" he asked. Flannery lowered her head slightly. Whatever she was about to tell them Ash and Misty knew it was going to be painful.

"Like I said, it was over 10 years ago. Our parents had just gotten their dream jobs at the Pokémon League's Hoenn branch," she explained.

"Your parents work for the Pokémon League?" Misty asked. A small smile found its way onto Flannery's face.

"Yeah. They still do to this day," she said, taking great pride in sharing that fact.

"So, what happened after they got their jobs?" Ash asked.

"It was still a few months before they would have to report in, so our father suggested that we take a short cruise on his ship," Flannery said.

"Cruise ship?" Ash asked.

"Yeah," Flannery said. "Despite our Gym being a Fire Gym both my mother and my sister absolutely loved Water Pokémon. In fact my sister vowed to be a Water Pokémon Master when she got old enough." Ash once again took a short glance at Misty. Her eyes were starting to tear up, but she was fighting them back somehow.

"Please, continue," he said.

"We had been sailing for a few weeks. That's when it happened."

"That's when 'what' happened?" Ash asked. Though she had gone that far with her story Flannery was reluctant to continue.

"Please, Flannery. I know it's tough but we have to know," Ash pleaded.

"Please," Misty added. Sensing the desperation in their voice Flannery found the courage to finish her story.

"We were near the northern coast of Kanto. We were heading to a small port to restock on our supplies when a fleet of black submarines surrounded us," she said. "Then, one by one, men in black uniforms with red "R"s started coming out, each one with a gun aimed at us." Ash recognized the description of the Team Rocket uniform.

"Then, one of the men boarded our ship. He was dressed in an orange suit. He had a Persian by his side." Misty knew of this man. Giovanni, the former leader of the Viridian City Gym.

"What did he want with you?" Ash asked.

"He told my parents to hand over their Pokémon," she said.

"And if you refused?"

"He said that if they refused he'd have his men attack us," Flannery replied. "Of course, my father is a proud man. He made a counter offer, saying that if Giovanni defeated him in battle he'd hand over all of his Pokémon. But if he won Giovanni would have to leave us alone."

"Did he accept?' Misty asked.

"Yeah," Flannery replied. "He ordered all of his men to lower their weapons. He called on his Persian while my father used his Blaziken. Both my sister and I knew there was no way a Persian could beat our father's Blaziken."

"Naturally," Ash commented. "Not only does a Blaziken have the type advantage but it would also have the speed advantage."

"Something Giovanni learned pretty quickly," Flannery said. "His Persian was outclassed from the beginning. It not only couldn't land a hit on our father's Blaziken but it couldn't avoid any of his attacks either. It became clear that Giovanni's Pokémon didn't stand a chance."

"Did he admit defeat?" Misty asked.

"He did," Flannery replied. "He obviously knew when he was beaten. He called his Persian back to his side and ordered all his men to fall back. They retreated back inside the submarines and disappeared back beneath the water. Soon he was the only one left. That's when everything changed."

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"After defeating him our father turned to check on us. While his back was turned Giovanni ordered his Persian to use a Hyper Beam," she said. Misty gasped while Ash was left in silent shock.

"He… ordered an attack while your father's back was turned? What a cowardly move," Misty said.

"You can say that again," Flannery said. "Our father barely saw it in time and got out of the way. The blast knocked everyone off-balance. My sister… was knocked overboard."

"Knocked overboard?!" Misty asked.

"Yeah, and what was really bad was that the water currents there were pretty strong," Flannery said. "Because of the she was quickly swept away from the ship."

"You did try to go after her, didn't you?" Ash asked, finally finding his voice.

"We would have if we could, but the ship was damaged from the Hyper Beam," Flannery explained. "The attack damaged the engine. We were dead in the water… just like my sister was." By now tears were starting to fall from her eyes. Reliving the days she lost her sister was just as painful as Ash and Misty had feared it would be.

"What… what happened to Giovanni?" Misty asked.

"He escaped during the confusion," Flannery replied, "not like we cared at the moment. All we cared about was finding my sister and getting her back safely. Unfortunately it would take us a few days to get the ship running again." Ash and Misty listened intently. So far Flannery's story was fitting perfectly with Misty's arrival at the Cerulean Gym.

"Once we were able to get the ship running again we searched the coastline, stopping in every port city along the way," Flannery said. "Northpoint… Seabreeze… Cerulean… everywhere we could think of, but we never found her." Misty gasped in surprise, her hand going up to her mouth.

_"They… they did come… They did come looking for me,"_ she said to herself.

"That's all I can remember about that day," Flannery said. "I hope that answered all of your questions."

"Just about,' Ash answered. "There's still a few things we still need to know."

"Like what?" she asked.

"Do you remember her name?" Ash asked. Flannery smiled slightly.

"How could I forget? It's one of the few things I still remember about her," Flannery replied. "It's kind of a funny story on how her name was chosen."

"I'd like to hear it if you don't mind," Ash said.

"Sure," Flannery said. "According to my mother it rained the night she was born. That morning, while everyone was trying to figure out a name for her she took a look outside. You see, her hospital room had a beautiful view of a forest with a small lake in the middle. Because of the rain the ground was covered in a fine dew and the lake was blanketed in a light fog, or mist. And that's where she got her name… Misty." That was all the confirmation they needed. Flannery's story, along with the woman holding a Heat Badge in the picture Misty had proved that this was indeed Misty's home. Ash looked at Misty, took her hand in his and gave it a slight squeeze, She knew what that meant. It was time to reveal everything.

"Flannery, there's something we have to show you," Ash said. Flannery was a little confused. First Ash and this mystery girl came to her with questions about her past and her lost sister and now they had something they needed to show her. But rather than question them she decided to wait and see what they had to show her first. She watched as Misty reached into her bag and pulled out a small photo.

"Flannery, does this picture look familiar to you?" Ash asked. Misty handed her the picture. As Flannery looked at it she let out a loud gasp.

"W-Where did you get this?!" she asked.

"Can you tell us who that is in that picture?" Ash asked.

"T-That's… my mother… and my sister!" she replied. "But where… how… who gave you this?!"

"It was found with a little girl near Cerulean City," Ash explained. "The girl was taken in by the Waterflower family and for the past 10 years she's been living at the Cerulean City Gym."

"What?!… You mean… my sister… my sister's alive?!" Flannery asked.

"Yes," Ash replied. "In fact, she's right here."

"She is?! Where?! Where is she?!" Flannery started looking around wildly.

"I'm… right here." Flannery looked towards the sound of the voice, which happened to be Misty. The Lavaridge Gym Leader stared at her.

"It's me, Flannery," she said. Flannery was speechless for a bit.

"… Misty? Is that really you?" she asked, not believing what she was seeing. Misty nodded, not being able to find her voice. Flannery didn't know what to do. The sister she believed was lost forever was now sitting right in front of her. Finally, unable to control her emotions any longer, she ran to Misty and hugged her, tears of happiness running down her face.

"I-It really is you! You're alive!" she cried. Misty was also overcome with emotions, eyes filled with tears as she returned the hug.

"I'm not dreaming! I really found my family!" Misty cried.

"You're not dreaming, Misty! You've finally come home!" Flannery said. Misty let her words sink in.

_"I'm home… I'm finally home,"_ she said to herself.

* * *

The following hours were spent catching up. Misty told Flannery all about her life at the Cerulean Gym and her time spent traveling with Ash all of Kanto, the Orange Islands and Johto while Flannery told Misty all about the challengers she faced as the Gym Leader. 

"Wait a minute! You mean to tell me that after all these years Ash still sent out a Grass type against your Slugma?!" Misty asked. "I thought he would have learned by now."

"Hey! I had a strategy!" Ash said in his defense.

"He's right," Flannery said. "He used his Treeko's speed to make all of my attacks miss. You wouldn't believe how frustrated I got because of that. If I hadn't remembered what my grandpa told me about keeping my cool under pressure he would have had me beat right then and there."

"Speaking of your grandfather where is he? I haven't seen him since we got here," Ash said.

"He's went to the Pokémon Center earlier to meet my parents… I mean, our parents," Flannery said. Misty looked at her in shock.

"Our parents?! They're coming here?!" Flannery slapped her head.

"I can't believe I forgot that," she said. "I guess with all the excitement it slipped my mind."

"Well, look at the bright side, Misty. You're finally going to meet your real parents," Ash said. Misty gave as a smile, but on the inside she was as nervous as a long-tailed Persian in a room filled with rocking chairs.

"So, when should they be back?" Ash asked.

"It should be any minute now," Flannery replied. Then, as if on cue…

"Flannery! We're back!" Ash could feel Misty tense up when Flannery's grandfather announced his return. He held her hand in an attempt to calm her down.

"You can do this, Misty," he said. "You've gone this far. Time to go all the way." Somehow, in a way she couldn't explain, Ash's words were able to calm her down and give her the strength and courage to go through with this. She knew if he hadn't been there she would have ran long ago. It was as if she was feeding on his strength to help her get through this. Filled with a newfound confidence she looked up and Flannery and nodded. Flannery understood.

"In here, Grandpa!" she called. Shortly after her grandfather, Mr. Moor, walked in followed by two more people, a tall brown-haired man and a red-haired woman. Flannery ran up and hugged them.

"Grandpa! Mom! Dad! Welcome back!" she said.

"Hey there, kiddo," her father said.

"It's been so long, dear," her mother added. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Mom," Flannery said.

"Flannery, why was there a Pikachu with the other Pokémon?" Mr. Moor asked. "Last time I checked you didn't have a Pikachu."

"I don't," Flannery replied. "It's his." She pointed over at Ash.

"Remember me, sir?" he asked. Mr. Moor smiled as Ash walked over. The two shook hands.

"How could I forget? You put on quite a show last time you were here," he said.

"A friend of yours, Flannery?" her father asked.

"He sure is," Flannery replied. "Mom, Dad, this is Ash Ketchum. He's one of the few challengers that managed to defeat me." Ash walked up and shook their hands.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said.

"Likewise," Flannery's father said. "You must be good if you can beat my daughter."

"Well Dad, he did place in the Top 8 at the Ever Grande Championships that year," Flannery said.

"Top 8 you say. You are good," he said. While Ash talked with Flannery's father about his skill as a trainer her mother saw Misty and went to say hello.

"Hello, dear. Are you one of Flannery's friends too?" she asked.

"You… could say that," Misty replied. "My name's Misty."

"It's nice to meet you, Misty," she said. "You know, we had another daughter with the same name as you… In fact, if I didn't know I'd say you were her." Misty couldn't help but smile. She had no idea how true that statement was. Flannery's father and grandfather soon went over to meet Misty as well. Ash just stood back and watched, knowing what this would lead to.

"This is going to be magical," he whispered. While he watched he felt something climb on his shoulder. He didn't have to look to know who it was.

"Pi Pika Chu (It's almost time)," Pikachu said.

"Sure is," Ash replied. The two watched and waited, eager to see the moment when this family would be finally reunited.

"Dear, this is Misty. She's one of Flannery's friends," Flannery's mother said. Flannery and Misty shared a quick glance. Both were eager to let their parent's know Misty's true identity.

"Nice to meet you, Misty," Flannery's father said.

"Same here," Misty said.

"I told her that she could pass for our other daughter. Don't you agree, Mark?" her mother asked. Mark, Flannery's father, took a good look at Misty.

"You know Gloria, you're right," he replied. "This girl could easily pass as our daughter. I just wish she was here with us today." Both Mark and Gloria were starting to feel a bit sad about their missing daughter, but Misty and Flannery were about to change that.

"Dad, do you still have that picture of the two of us?" Flannery asked.

"Sure. I never leave home without it," he said. He reached into his coat pocket and took out a small photo. The photo showed a young Flannery sitting on the shoulders of her father. It was a heartwarming picture, but anyone could tell that it was only half a picture. The right side was rough, indicating that this picture had been torn in half.

"What happened to the other half?" Misty asked.

"We lost it when we lost our other daughter over 10 years ago," Gloria answered. Misty looked at the picture for a bit longer. Then, she smiled and took out her picture.

"You mean this half?" she said, showing them her half of a picture. Mark and Gloria looked at the picture. Both were shocked to see what it was.

"It… can't be!" Mark said. He took the half he had and placed the two next to each other. The two halves fit together perfectly. The two stared at the now-complete picture and then at Misty.

"How… where did you find this?" Mark asked. While he waited for Misty to answer Gloria was staring at her, as if she was looking for something. Then, it hit her.

"You… you're our… you're our daughter… aren't you," she said. Mark and Mr. Moor stared at her. Misty lowered her head slightly while Gloria waited, eyes filled with hope and anticipation.

"Please, I have to know," she pleaded. "Are you our daughter?" After what seemed like forever Misty raised her head up, a smile on her face and tears of happiness in her eyes.

"Hi… Mom," she said. Those two words were all that Gloria needed to hear. She threw her arms around Misty and hugged her.

"My baby! My baby's come back!" she cried. "I thought we had lost you!"

"I never thought I'd see you again," Misty said. While this was happening Mark was staring in shock. It was a he had hoped would happen for the past 10 years, but he couldn't believe that it was actually happening.

"M-Misty? Is that… is that really you?" he asked. Misty pulled away from her mother and looked at him, still smiling.

"It's me, Dad," she said. Mark was overcome with emotion. For 10 years he prayed and hoped that one day his lost daughter would return to them. And now, after 10 long years, she was finally back home. He was brought out of his shock when he felt Misty's arms around him. Realizing what was happening he hugged her tightly, like he was afraid that this was all a dream and she would vanish when he woke up.

"This is really happening! You really are here!" he said.

"Yes, Dad! I'm here! I've come back home!" Misty said. Flannery and her grandfather stood back as mother, father and daughter shared in their reunion. However, at the request of the three of them they too joined in the family reunion. This left Ash and Pikachu watching the family, finally complete after 10 years.

"Pi Ka Chu Pika Pikachu (I just love happy endings)," Pikachu said, wiping a tear from his eye.

"I know what you mean," Ash said, "but just wait. Things are going to get a lot better."

"Pika Pikachu Pichu Pi Ka Cha? (You're really going to tell her?)" Pikachu asked. Ash nodded.

"The time's almost right. I'll just wait a few days for things to settle down and then I'll tell her," he said.

"Pi Ka Chu! (Good for you!)" Ash gave his buddy a scratch behind his ear.

"Ash?" The young trainer looked up at the sound of his name.

"I want to thank you… for bringing my daughter back to me," Mark said. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this day."

"Yes… thank you," Gloria added. Though he appreciated the thanks he was receiving, to him it wasn't necessary. He got all the thanks he wanted by seeing Misty be reunited with her family.

"It was my pleasure," Ash said. He then turned to walk out, but just before he left Misty called out to him. He turned back around and faced her. She was once again giving him that golden smile of hers.

"I know my parents already said this, but I want to thank you for bringing me home," she said. "You have no idea how happy you've made me today." Ash smiled, glad to see her so happy.

"I'm just glad I was able to help," he replied. "Well, I'm going to go get my Pokémon checked up at the Center. I'll be back later." Misty gave him an 'okay' before getting back to her newly-discovered family. Ash as walked out of the room he took one last look at them, mainly Misty.

_"If you think you're happy now then just wait. I've got one more surprise for you. Then, you'll really be the happiest girl in Hoenn,"_ he said to himself before walking out.

* * *

Their journey has finally come to an end. After 10 years Misty is finally reunited with her real family. But now, with nothing left to do, what's in store for them next? Will Ash really keep his end of the deal he made with Pikachu and tell Misty how he feels about her? Or will we see a Thunderbolt of unimaginable power unleashed on our Pokémon Master-in-training? Find out in the next chapter of **Home is Where the Heart Is**!

Please review


	5. TRuth and Love

First of all I would like to apologize for taking so long for this update. Lately there have been plenty of obstacles preventing me from getting this chapter done sooner (thunderstorms, writer's block, unspring-like weather... seriously it's mid-April and the temp is still dropping into the mid-to-low 40s) and if that wasn't bad enough now the site won't let me upload my chapters. Hopefully this will be fixed soon, but until then I'm going to have to find alternate was to get them up. Again, I'm sorry for making everyone wait for the next update.

And now, without further ado, the much anticipated Chapter 5.

**Chapter 5: TR-uth and Love**

The days that followed were definitely more calm, but in no way quiet. After being separated for over 10 years Misty and her family had plenty to catch up on. Mark and Gloria had plenty of stories from their jobs working for the Pokémon League while Misty had stories from her days as the Cerulean City Gym Leader and her days traveling with Ash. Of course Ash had a few things to add himself.

"You know, we haven't let our Pokémon out for a stretch since we got here," Misty said.

"Oh man, you're right!" Ash said. "Do you have anywhere we can let our Pokémon out?"

"Well, you could always use the battlefield. I'm not expecting any challengers today," Flannery said.

"Why not? It's definitely big enough to hold them all," Ash said. After Misty agreed the all headed outside to the battlefield to give their Pokémon some much-needed time outside their Poké balls.

* * *

To say that Flannery and the rest of Misty's family were impressed with the Pokémon that Ash and Misty brought along would be an understatement. As expected Gloria fell in love with all of Misty's Pokémon the second she released them. Especially her Azurill, who she was currently holding. 

"Your Azurill is so cute," Gloria said. Azurill chirped happily at all the attention she was getting.

"I know. After I left Togepi… I mean Togetic, at the Mirage Kingdom I was feeling a bit down without my baby Pokémon by my side," Misty said. "That's when my friend Tracey gave me an egg that eventually hatched into Azurill." Gloria looked at her daughter sympathetically.

"If you ask me that's your motherly side coming through," she said.

"You think so?" Misty asked.

"Of course," Gloria said. Misty smiled and hugged her mother, being careful not to squish Azurill in the process.

"Thanks, Mom," Misty said. Gloria smiled.

"That's what mothers are for." The mother-daughter moment was soon interrupted by the sounds of battle. Ash and Flannery were still in the middle of their battle, Flannery using her Torkoal while Ash was battling with Charizard. Mark was acting as the referee.

"Charizard, use Dragon Breath!"

"Iron Defense, Torkoal!" Torkoal quickly withdrew into his shell just as white mist-like breath attack from Charizard made contact.

"Darn! My attacks can't break through Torkoal's Iron Defense!" Ash said. This was the same strategy Flannery used last time. She'd defend against all of Ash's Pokémon's attacks with Iron Defense and then attack with…

"Overheat!" Ash was barely able to snap out of his thinking and order Charizard to dodge. The orange dragon flew away just as the intensely hot fire beam passed by him. Ash breathed a sigh of relief.

_"That was too close,"_ he said. _"That Overheat attack almost hit Charizard. I've got to bring her Torkoal down fast. But how? All of my attacks can't get through that Iron Defense. If only there was a way for me to get Torkoal out of his shell… wait! I can get it out!"_ Ash looked up at Charizard, who was glaring down at Torkoal. He knew what he had to do to win.

"Dive down at him, Charizard!" Ash said. Charizard let out a mighty roar before diving down at his opponent. Flannery smirked and shook her head.

"You just never learn, do you Ash," she said. "Anything you do will be defended against with Torkoal's Iron Defense." Then, without even being told to, Torkoal withdrew back inside of his shell. Ash returned her smirk.

"Actually, that's what I was banking on," he replied. Before Flannery could question his tactics Ash had Charizard go on the attack.

"Now, grab Torkoal!" he said. Charizard swooped down and picked up Torkoal, carrying him high into the air.

"Now, go into Seismic Toss!" Still holding Torkoal Charizard went into a series of aerial rotations. Both Ash and Flannery were looking up at them. Flannery wondered what the outcome would be, but Ash already knew. After a few more rotations Torkoal came out of his shell, totally confused.

"Now, bring it home!" With Torkoal exposed Charizard dove straight down towards the ground.

"Torkoal, you've got to get back in your shell before you hit the ground!" Although Flannery gave out her command with enough time for it to be done Torkoal was too confused to know what was happening. As they neared the ground Charizard threw Torkoal downwards, slamming the tortoise to the ground. The hit kicked up a large cloud of dust, impairing the visions of the combatants. However, once the dust cleared a KO-ed Torkoal was seen along with a triumphant Charizard.

"Torkoal is unable to battle! The win goes to Ash and his Charizard!" Mark announced. The two trainers went to their Pokémon's sides. Ash congratulated Charizard on a battle well-fought while Flannery was praising her Torkoal for giving his all. They then recalled their Pokémon and approached each other.

"Great battle, Flannery," Ash said as he extended his hand.

"Thanks. You too," Flannery replied as she shook his hand. "I've got to say that's one strong Charizard you have there."

"I guess all that training in the Charisific Valley was worth it," Ash replied.

"I'll say it did," Flannery said. With the post-battle congratulations said Ash made his way towards the Gym entrance.

"Where are you going, Ash?" Misty asked.

"I've got a few things to take care of in town," he replied. "I'll be back later."

"Okay. Don't be too long," Misty said. Ash nodded and left the Gym, Pikachu on his shoulder.

* * *

After a quick stop at the Pokémon Center to get Charizard recharged Ash and Pikachu were on their way back to the Gym. But instead of heading right back Ash was taking a different route than the one they used to go there. 

"Pi Ka Chu Pika, Pikapi? (Where are we going, Ash?)" Pikachu asked.

"I've got to make one more stop before we head back to the Gym," he replied.

"Chu? (Why?)" Pikachu asked.

"You'll know why when we get there," Ash answered. Pikachu had no idea where Ash was taking them, or why he was being so secretive about it, but decided to wait and see rather than continue to question him. Minutes later Ash stopped in front of a small store.

"We're here," he said. Pikachu looked at the store, taking in the name above the entrance.

"Chu Kachupika Kachu Pi? Pi, Pi Ka Pi Chu (The Lavaridge Treasure Chest? Ah, I get it now)," Pikachu said. Ash scratched him behind his ear.

"That's right, buddy. I'm picking up something for Misty," he said. The two walked in. They looked around, checking all of the jewelry in the display cases around the store. Though every piece was beautiful in its own way, nothing caught Ash's eye.

"Man, this is going to be tougher than I thought," he said.

"Pi Ka Chu Ka Pi Cha? (Why don't you ask for help?)" Pikachu suggested. Figuring it couldn't hurt Ash walked up to the counter. A young lady, who Ash believed was the store clerk, was there.

"Hello. May I help you?" She asked.

"I was wondering if you had anything for a special friend of mine," Ash replied.

"I'm sure we have something for this friend of yours," she said. "Now, can you describe what they're like?"

"Well, I guess the one thing that stands out about her is that she loves Water Pokémon," Ash replied. "Does that help any?"

"Yes it did," the clerk replied. "In fact I think I might just have the perfect piece for her." She went to the back and came out holding a gold necklace. At the end of the necklace was a small crystal in the shape of a raindrop. Ash looked at the necklace.

"This is perfect," he said. "Don't you think so?"

"Pi Ka! (Sure is!)"

"Okay then. I'll take it," Ash said. He paid for the necklace. The clerk placed the necklace in a box.

"Would you like for me to wrap it for you?" she asked.

"No thanks," Ash replied. After a quick farewell and a 'good luck' from the store clerk Ash and Pikachu left and continued on their way back to the Lavaridge Gym.

* * *

Back at the Gym Mark, Gloria, Flannery and Misty were walking out when Ash and Pikachu came back. They were all carrying what looked like fishing equipment. 

"Hey, where's everybody going?" he asked.

"We decided to do a little fishing," Misty replied. "You want to come? We have enough fishing rods." Ash didn't have to think twice about his answer. Heck, he didn't even have to think once.

"Sure," he replied. Misty handed him one of the rods she was carrying.

"Where's Mr. Moor? Isn't he coming?" Ash asked.

"My grandpa doesn't really like fishing that much so he's staying behind to watch the Gym," Flannery replied.

"He doesn't know what he's missing," Gloria said.

"Yeah, but that's my father for you," Mark added.

"Hey! We need to get going or there won't be any time left for us to catch anything!" Misty called.

"We'd better hurry. I know by experience that Misty is one person you do not want to make wait," Ash said. After laughing at Ash's comment they caught up to Misty and continued on their way to the lake where they were going to fish, all the while not knowing they were being watched.

* * *

From their position in their Meowth hot air balloon the Team Rocket trio of Jessie, James and Meowth watched as they all left. 

"While the trainers are away…" Jessie started.

"Team Rocket will steal the day…" James continued.

"And with these Pokémon we'll finally earn our pay!" Meowth finished. Of course both Wobbufett and Mime Jr. decided to make their grand appearance at that moment.

"Would you get back in your Poké ball!" Jessie yelled as she returned her Pokémon. James, on the other hand, simply held Mime Jr. in his arms.

"You know, you really have spoiled that thing," Meowth said.

"Mime Jr. is not a thing!" James replied angrily. "And besides what I do with him is my business!"

"Okay, okay! No need to go Primeape on me!" Meowth replied.

"Would you two keep it down?!" Jessie yelled. Both James and Meowth were silenced immediately. Jessie then resumed looking down at the Gym.

"Now, let's get down there and steal some prime Pokémon," she said.

"Are you sure the trainers have all left?" James asked as he navigated the balloon down.

"Of course. I just saw them leave," Jessie replied, "although, there did seem to be quite a few of them."

"If we had our binoculars we might have been able to see who they were," James said. The two of them glared at Meowth.

"Hey! I said I was sorry for forgetting them!" Meowth said. "What do you want me to do?!"

"How about remember next time!" Jessie replied. Right before a full-blown argument could begin James motioned for them to be quiet.

"If you two don't keep it down you're going to give us away," he said. His two companions became quiet. Shortly after that the balloon landed near the Gym. The three of them got out and looked towards the Gym with greedy eyes.

"Time to get down to business," Jessie said.

* * *

The lake was a good 20 minute walk from the Gym. A good ways away from the city it was surrounded by trees, giving it a true outdoors feeling. Everyone had picked a spot to fish at. Mark, Gloria and Flannery picked a spot on the northern end of the lake while Ash and Misty picked on about 15 feet away. Despite the fact that nothing was biting everyone was having a good time just being together. After sitting there for a few minutes Ash figured the time was finally right. From his spot in one of the nearby trees Pikachu could also sense that the time was right for Ash to make his move. 

"Pi Ka, Pikapi (Good luck, Ash)," he said. Down below Ash and Misty were engaged in conversation.

"Ash, I just want to thank you again for reuniting me with my real family," Misty said.

"You don't have to keep thanking me," Ash replied. "Besides, I was glad to help."

"Still, it meant a lot to me," Misty said. One look at her smiling face was enough to fill Ash's heart with unimaginable joy. At that moment he knew it was the perfect time to tell her.

"Misty, can we talk for a second?" he asked her.

"Sure," she said, giving him her undivided attention.

"_Here it goes… _Well, there's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time." This was it. The moment he had been both looking forward to and fearing at the same time. But just as he was about to confess his feelings…

"Ash! You've got a bite!" Taking his attention away from Misty and to his rod Ash saw that something indeed was on the end of the line. He quickly took hold of his rod and tried to pull in whatever he caught, but it was putting up one heck of a fight.

"You need any help Ash?!" Misty asked.

"Nope… I got it," he replied. "… Hey! You've got one too!"

"I what?!" Misty looked at her rod and saw that she also had a bite. And also like Ash's hers was also putting up a great fight. As the two young trainers struggled to land their catches Pikachu slapped his head in frustration.

"Chu! Pi Cha! (Shoot! So close)" Sensing that the moment had been ruined for now the small mouse scurried down the tree and towards Ash and Misty to help them with their catches.

* * *

Back at the gym Mr. Moor was taking advantage of the peace and quiet to work on more of his Pokémon poetry. With no challengers scheduled to arrive today and everyone else out he had all the time he needed to construct more of his "masterpieces". After finishing his most recent one he got up for a much-needed stretch. 

"I think that's enough for now," Mr. Moor said. "I think I'll go check on the Pokémon." He walked out of the room and was about to head to the battlefield when he heard a loud noise. It kind of sounded like the Pokémon were upset about something.

"I wonder what's got them riled up," he said. He decided to go investigate. However, what he found wasn't something he expected or liked. There were two people dressed in gray uniforms and a Pokémon loading up the Gym Pokémon in a large cage.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" he yelled. Jessie, James and Meowth turned around to see who was yelling at them. Mr. Moor recognized them almost immediately.

"You tried to steal my granddaughter's Torkoal a few years back!" he yelled.

"You're that old guy with the Typhlosion!" Jessie yelled back. "If it wasn't for you and those twerps we would have gotten away then!" Mr. Moor took a look at the cage. They had Magu, Megu and Torkoal already locked up.

"So, here to try again! Well, you fail just like last time!" Mr. Moor said. He took out a lone Poké ball and threw it.

"I choose you, Typhlosion!" The ball opened, releasing his powerful Fire type. Typhlosion let out a roar, the flames on the back of his neck igniting. Jessie glared at him.

"If it's a battle you want it's a battle you'll get!" she said, "although I must warn you, we've gotten much better since the last time we battled." She took out three Poké balls and tossed them out.

"Seviper! Dustox! Wobbufett! I choose you!" From her Poké balls came her three Pokémon. James soon followed and threw out his own Poké ball.

"Go, Cacnea!" Upon being released his small cactus-like Pokémon turned around and gave her trainer a thorny hug.

"Ow! Why must you always hurt the one you love?!" James cried in pain.

"Use Flamethrower!" Mr. Moor said. Typhlosion took a deep breath and spit out a large stream of fire right at Team Rocket.

"Get in there and use Mirror Coat, Wobbufett!" Jessie ordered. On her command Wobbufett jumped in the way of the incoming Flamethrower. His body then gave off a pinkish glow, indicating that Mirror Coat was in effect. The Flamethrower hit Wobbufett and was immediately bounced back at Typhlosion with twice the force.

"Dodge it!" Mr. Moor yelled. Typhlosion barely jumped out of the way of the rebounded Flamethrower, but that just left him open for another attack.

"Use Poison Tail, Seviper!" Still recovering from dodging the previous attack there was no way for Typhlosion to avoid Seviper's Poison Tail. The Fire type took the attack, stumbling backwards from the impact. Mr. Moor looked on in shock.

_"They're right! They have gotten better since last time!"_ he said. "Alright, Typhlosion! Try a Flame Wheel!" With a mighty roar Typhlosion charged, his body wrapped in flames.

"Use Haze!" Jessie ordered. Seviper obeyed, spitting out a thick haze cloud. Typhlosion quickly ceased his attack as he was engulfed in the blinding cloud. This gave Jessie and James the perfect opportunity to continue their assault.

"Dustox, use Poison Sting!" Jessie ordered.

"Use Pin Missile, Cacnea!" James added. The two Pokémon launched their attacks, Dustox firing small purple needle-like projectiles and Cacnea firing white ones. The attacks penetrated the haze cloud, exploding on impact with their target. Typhlosion was knocked out of the cloud and to the ground in front of Mr. Moor. Team Rocket was going hysterical at their current success.

"We're winning! We're actually winning!" Jessie cheered.

"Don't jinx it," James warned.

"Jinx nothing! We're unstoppable right now!" Jessie continued. At that moment Meowth got one of his brainstorms.

"Hey guys! With us beating that guy's Typhlosion like this what's stopping us from adding him to the collection?" he asked.

"You know, you've got a point," Jessie said.

"Let's take his Typhlosion down and give him to the boss along with these others," Meowth said. Mr. Moor didn't like the sound of that. He and Typhlosion had been together since Typhlosion was still a little Cyndaquil and no one was going to separate them. However, at this rate there didn't look like there was anything stopping Team Rocket from doing just that.

_"Typhlosion can't keep this up for much longer. I need to get him some help. I have Wingull, but there's not much she can do to help… or is there?"_ Deciding to take a chance Mr. Moor took out his remaining Poké ball.

"Go, Wingull!" He threw the ball, calling on his small Flying-and-Water type Pokémon.

"Go find the others and bring them back here as quick as you can!" he said. Wingull nodded and flew off in the direction of the lake. But Jessie wasn't about to let her go get reinforcements.

"Stop that bird, Dustox!" she ordered. Dustox tried to give chase, but he was cut-off by a Flamethrower from Typhlosion.

"You've got bigger things to worry about that Wingull! Mainly Typhlosion and me!" Mr. Moor said. Jessie just smirked at them.

"Fine! We'll just beat you before your Pokémon can return with your 'reinforcements'," she said. Team Rocket's four Pokémon all lined up in front of Typhlosion, ready to continue the battle. Mr. Moor and his Pokémon glared at the opposition.

_"Please hurry back, Wingull!" _he said before resuming the battle.

* * *

Ash, Misty, Flannery, Mark and Gloria were on their way back to the Gym after their day of fishing. Though it was mostly uneventful it was anything but dull. Ash and Misty each landed one catch, which turned into a new Pokémon for each of them. 

"Man, they really made us work for those," Ash said.

"Yeah, but it was all worth it in the end," Misty replied. "I just love my new Pokémon."

"I know, and I'm sure my new Pokémon is going to translate into more wins for me!" Ash said. The two of them were walking ahead of everyone else. Flannery, Mark and Gloria observed them from behind, all three talking about how they belong together.

"You know, those two would make a perfect couple," Gloria said.

"True. After what Misty's told us it's clear that Ash would be perfect for her," Mark added.

"When he first came here I thought he would have ended up with that other girl he was with, but now I can't see him with anyone else but Misty," Flannery said. Up ahead Ash was trying a little small talk.

"You know, I really had a lot of fun today," he said.

"So did I," Misty replied. At that moment he decided to give his confession of his feelings another try.

"Hey, Misty… there's something I've been wanting to tell you for a while now." Misty looked at him, eager to hear what he had to say.

"You see, for a while now I…"

"Wingull! Wingull!" For the second time that day Ash's confession was interrupted, this time by Wingull. He didn't show it, but he was upset over the second interruption.

"What's a Wingull doing here?" Misty asked.

"I don't… hey! I know that Wingull. Flannery!" Flannery ran up to them.

"Isn't this your grandfather's Wingull?" Ash asked. Flannery took a good look at the Pokémon.

"This is his Wingull!" she replied. "What are you doing here? Is there a problem back at the Gym?" By this time Mark and Gloria had caught up to them. Wingull then flew up into the air and motioned for them to follow her.

"Come on!" Flannery said. The others wasted no time in following Wingull. As they followed her back towards the Gym Ash thought about how he was going to tell Misty without being interrupted again.

"One way or another I will tell her…"

* * *

Minutes later Wingull had lead them all back to the Gym. However, looking from the outside it didn't seem as if anything was wrong. 

"Well, everything seems peaceful," Misty said. "You sure it wasn't just a false alarm?"

"I doubt it. Wingull wouldn't have come for us if there wasn't anything wrong," Flannery replied. Then, at that moment, the sounds of a fierce battle were heard coming from inside.

"Grandpa!" Flannery cried. She wasted no time running inside the Gym, Mark and Gloria right behind her.

"Wait up, Flannery!" Misty called. She tried to follow but Ash stopped her.

"What are you doing, Ash?! We have to go help!" she said.

"Hold on, Misty. Take a look over there," Ash said, pointing over to the right of the Gym. Misty looked to where he was pointing. She couldn't believe what she saw.

"That's Team Rocket's balloon!" she said. "You mean they followed us all the way out here?!"

"I'm not even sure they know the two of us are in Hoenn. They might just be here to try and steal the Gym's Pokémon again," Ash replied.

"We have to stop them!" Misty said.

"We will, and I know how." Ash whispered his plan in Misty's ear. She smiled once he was finished.

"So, what do you think?" he asked.

"Let's do it," Misty replied.

* * *

"Seviper! Use Poison Tail!" 

"Needle Arm, Cacnea!" The two attacks made contact, knocking Typhlosion to the ground. All in all he was taking a real beating from Team Rocket's Pokémon. Mr. Moor watched as Typhlosion struggled to get on his feet._"It's no good! We can't win on our own!"_ he said._ "No matter what we do they have a counter for it! We need help… now!"_ Then, as if someone somewhere was listening, Flannery, Mark and Gloria entered the Gym and ran to his side.

"Grandpa!" Flannery cried.

"Dad, are you alright?" Mark asked.

"I'm fine, but that's more than I can say for Typhlosion," Mr. Moor replied. Indeed Typhlosion had become extremely worn-out from the battle. Everyone then looked from Typhlosion to the intruders. Flannery recognized them immediately.

"Not you three again!" she yelled.

"Who are they?" Gloria asked. The trio then went into their long, over-the-top introduction:

"Prepare for trouble, you should know who we are!

Our names are known both near and far!

An evil as old as the galaxy!

Sent here to fulfill our destiny!

With Meowth, that's me!

To denounce the evils of truth and love!

To extend our reach to the stars above!

Jessie!

James!

And Meowth are the names!

Wherever there's peace in the universe!

Team Rocket!

Will be there!

To make everything worse!

Wobba! Wobba!

Mime Mime! Mime Mime!"

"And here I was thinking their stupid motto couldn't get any worse," Flannery said. Upon hearing who they were Mark and Gloria stepped forward.

"In the name of the Hoenn Pokémon League I hereby place you under arrest!" Mark said.

"Place all your Poké balls on the ground and surrender!" Gloria added. Jessie, James and Meowth all laughed at them.

"Surrender? Why would we do something like that?" Jessie asked.

"Especially when we have the obvious advantage," James added. He stepped to the side, letting them all see the cage holding Flannery's Pokémon.

"Let my Pokémon go!" Flannery yelled.

"We would, but we have a better idea," Jessie replied.

"Like taking all these Pokémon as a gift for our boss," Meowth said.

"That's not going to happen on my watch!" Mark said. He went to reach for one of his Poké balls but James noticed right away.

"No you don't! Cacnea! Sandstorm!" Cacnea spread her arms out and started spinning, creating a blinding sandstorm. Flannery, Mr. Moor, Mark and Gloria had to put their hands up to block out the sand, giving Team Rocket the perfect chance to get away.

"Now, let's get out of here before they recover!" Jessie said. They were about to start transferring the cage to their balloon outside, but at that moment a smoke cloud started to form around them.

"What's the deal, Jessie?! We don't need Seviper's Haze now!" Meowth yelled.

"It's not Seviper!" she replied. "Someone else is responsible for this!" Then, two voices were heard reciting a different, yet familiar sounding motto:

"Team Rocket, you should be preparing for trouble!

And with the two of us here you need to make it double!

We're here to take down you three!

And put an end to your so-called destiny!

Pi Ka! Pi Chu! (Just wait! You'll see!)

To put an stop to your destructive rein!

And make you feel shocking pain!

Ash!

Misty!

Pi Ka Pikachu! (And I'm Pikachu!)

Whenever you three are around!

The three of us will be here!

To take you down!

Pi Pika! (That's right!)"

Team Rocket was furious at the fact that Ash and Misty, in their mind, made a mockery of their motto while Flannery, Mark, Gloria and Mr. Moor applauded their rendition of it.

"That was great!" Flannery said.

"Yes, much better than the original version," Mark said. Of course Jessie, James and Meowth had a slightly different opinion.

"What do you mean 'much better'?! That was horrible!" Jessie yelled.

"There's nothing better than the original!" James added.

"Well, according to the majority I'd say you're wrong," Ash said.

"And I'd say, based on numbers, you twerps are going down!" Jessie said. Now Ash and Misty got serious as they prepared to battle Team Rocket.

"Hey Misty. You want to use our new Pokémon?" Ash asked.

"Sure," she replied. They both took out their Lure balls containing their newest Pokémon and threw them out.

"Let's go!" they both shouted as the balls opened, revealing their battling Pokémon. From Misty's Lure ball came a Vaporeon and from Ash's came a Gyarados. Team Rocket stared in shock.

"When did they get those?!" Meowth asked.

"You like? We just got them earlier today," Ash said. Vaporeon looked at them, ready for battle, while Gyarados's look was more of a glare. This made Team Rocket and their Pokémon more than a bit nervous. However, Meowth soon snapped out of it.

"Hey! What are we afraid of?! We still outnumber them 4-to-2!" he said. That seemed to restore a bit of their confidence, at least enough to get them back in a battling mood.

"He's right! Those are just two more Pokémon for us to bring to our boss!" James said.

"Well then what are we waiting for?! Let's get them!" Jessie said. "Seviper! Use Poison Tail!" The serpent shot forward, his tail glowing purple.

"Use Quick Attack!" Misty said. Before Seviper could go into his attack Vaporeon struck him with a Quick Attack. As her Pokémon was knocked back by the attack Jessie glared over at James.

"What are you doing?! Get in there and attack!" she yelled.

"Oh, right! Cacnea! Use Pin Missile!" James said.

"Dustox! Poison Sting!" Jessie said. The two Pokémon once again launched their projectile attacks.

"Use Twister, Gyarados!" Ash said. The large water serpent waved his tail and produced a massive twister, sending both the Pin Missile and Poison Sting attacks back where they came from. Dustox and Cacnea were showered with painful needles.

"Alright, Vaporeon! Use Quick Attack again!" Misty said. Vaporeon charged with another Quick Attack, but Jessie was ready this time.

"Wobbufett! Counter!" Wobbufett jumped in front of Vaporeon and started to glow orange, Counter activating. Misty saw this, but it was too late for he to call the attack off.

"No! Vaporeon!" she cried.

"I've got you covered!" Ash said. "Gyarados! Dragon Rage!" Gyarados breathed in and fired an orange fireball at Wobbufett. Since the attack wasn't a physical one Wobbufett's Counter had no effect on it. The attack caught him by surprise, making him cancel his Counter attack. Without any fear from recoil damage, Vaporeon continued her charge and slammed into Wobbufett. With Team Rocket's Pokémon currently down Ash and Misty decided to deliver the knock-out blows.

"Vaporeon! Gyarados! Hydro Pump!" they said. Both Water types drenched Team Rocket in a pair of powerful Hydro Pump attacks.

"I fell all washed up!" James said.

"It'll take all day for this to dry!" Jessie cried.

"Um, guys. I think we've got more important things to worry about," Meowth said. The three of them looked towards Ash and Misty. Both of them had smirks on their faces.

"Would you care to do the honors?" Ash asked.

"Gladly," Misty replied. She took a few steps forward and motioned for Pikachu to take front-and-center.

"This is what happens when you try and steal from my family! Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" she yelled. With a loud cry Pikachu unleashed one of his most powerful Thunderbolts on the trio. Thanks to them being wet the attack's power was amplified even further. After a few seconds they were sent on their way by a large explosion.

"Did the redhead say they were her family?" James asked.

"She did, but I thought her family was in Cerulean City," Jessie replied.

"It doesn't matter where she lives!" Meowth said. "All that matters is…"

"We're blasting off again!" the three of them said, followed by a small 'ding' as they disappeared over the horizon.

"Alright! We did it!" Ash said. He and Misty high fived each other before going to congratulate their Pokémon.

"You were awesome out there, Vaporeon," Misty said. Vaporeon smiled and barked out a 'thank you'.

"Pikachu, Gyarados, you two were awesome as well," Ash said. Gyarados let out a low growl, his way of saying 'thank you'. Pikachu just smiled and jumped to his usual place on Ash's shoulder. They returned Vaporeon and Gyarados just as Flannery and everyone else walked up to them.

"That was a great battle!" Flannery said, obviously impressed.

"That's my daughter," Mark said.

"You handled those Water Pokémon like a natural," Gloria said.

"Well, I've been training them for as long as I can remember," Misty replied. Ash looked at the happy family as they talked about Misty's skill with her Pokémon. Right then he decided to try again.

_"Like they say, third time's the charm."_ He approached Misty.

"Misty, I have something I need to tell you," he said. Misty figured it was what he was trying to tell her earlier. She gave him her full attention.

"What's on your mind?" she asked.

_"Here we go again."_ "I just want to tell you that…"

"Psy?" Ash fell on his face, anime-style.

"Psyduck?! Get back in your ball!" Misty yelled as she returned Psyduck to this Poké ball.

_"Of all the… does someone up there NOT want me to tell her or something?"_ Ash asked. He got up and dusted himself off.

"Sorry about that," Misty said. "Now, what were you saying?" Ash was about to continue, but he decided that, for privacy reasons, a new location needed to be found. And he knew just the place.

"I'll tell you once we get to the Pokémon Center," he said. "I'm sure our Pokémon need a check-up after the battle against Team Rocket."

"You're right," she said. After Pikachu took his spot on Ash's shoulder once again the two trainers left the Gym on their way to the Pokémon Center.

"Aren't you going to get Typhlosion checked-up as well, Dad?" Mark asked his father.

"Later," Mr. Moor replied. "Right now I think those two need some time alone." The others soon picked up on what he meant and followed him inside the Gym's living quarters.

* * *

At the Pokémon Center Misty was waiting for Nurse Joy to get back with her and Ash's Pokémon. Ash, meanwhile, was off by himself thinking. So far every chance he had to tell Misty how he felt about her had been interrupted one way or another. 

_"This is getting ridiculous,"_ he said._ "Every time I try to talk to Misty I get interrupted. First the Pokémon at the lake, then Wingull on our way back and then Psyduck."_ Truth be told all of the interruptions were starting to get him down. At this rate he figured he'd never get to tell her. Soon though, Misty returned with two trays holding their Poké balls. Pikachu and Azurill were following her.

"Nurse Joy said everyone checked out fine," she said.

"Thanks," Ash replied as he took his Poké balls and placed them on his belt. Misty looked at him with a bit of concern.

"You okay? You seem a bit out of it," she said. He was about to tell her he was fine, but then decided to give his confession yet another attempt.

"Actually, there is something I've been meaning to tell you," he said. He was about to continue when Nurse Joy approached them.

"Excuse me. Would your name be Misty?" she asked.

"Yes," Misty replied. "Is something wrong?"

"There's a call for you from Cerulean City," the nurse replied.

"I'd better take this. There's no telling what they called for," Misty said. After giving her the 'okay' Misty left. Ash sat down at a nearby table and put his head down in despair. Pikachu hopped onto the table, concerned for his trainer's condition.

"Pi Pichu, Pikapi? (You okay, Ash?)" he asked.

"Not really, Pikachu," Ash replied. "I mean, I want to tell Misty I love her but every time I try someone or something always interrupts me. How can I tell her if I'm constantly getting interrupted?"

"Pi ChuPi Ka PiCha Pi (You could try somewhere else)," the small electric mouse suggested.

"But where?" Ash asked.

"Pi Ka Pi Chu PiKa KaChu (Why not the lake later tonight)." Ash thought about it for a while.

"You know that's not a bad idea," he said. "Okay! I'll do it!" At that moment Misty came back.

"So, anything wrong?" Ash asked.

"No. They were just calling to tell me they heard from Professor Oak and your mom that I found my real family and how happy they were and that Caserin misses me," she replied.

"In other words just sisterly concern," Ash said.

"You could say that," Misty said. "So, what were you trying to tell me earlier?"

"I'll tell you later," Ash replied. "In fact, could you meet me at the lake later on tonight?" Misty thought that was a strange place and time to want to talk, especially when they could do that right here and now.

"Um… okay," she said.

"Great!" Ash replied. "Let's head back to the Gym until then." With their business at the Pokémon Center concluded the two trainers and their Pokémon left and headed back to the Gym.

* * *

Hours later Ash was preparing to go and meet Misty at the lake. On the surface everything looked fine, but on the inside he was more nervous than he had ever been in his life. Pikachu, of course, noticed his nervousness. 

"Pika Chu KaChu Pi, Pi Ka? (You're not backing down, are you?)" he asked.

"Of course not!" Ash replied. "If I did not only would I not be able to live with myself but you'd fry me!"

"Pi Chu Ka Chu (You got that right)," Pikachu said. Ash and Pikachu both laughed at that. Then, Ash got serious as he fingered the box in his pocket.

"Besides, I have to know if she feels the same way about me," he continued.

"Pi Pika Chu Pi (I know she does)," Pikachu replied.

"I hope you're right," Ash said. "Well, wish me luck."

"Pi Ka Chu Pi (You won't need it)," Pikachu replied. Ash smiled before heading out of the guest room on his way to the lake. Pikachu looked out of the window as he left the Gym.

"Pi Ka, Pikapi (Good luck, Ash)."

* * *

Ash arrived at the lake half an hour later. Aside from a few clouds the night was perfect. He looked around for Misty and saw she was already there waiting on him. 

_"Good. At least I won't have to think about it too much,"_ he said. As ash walked out into the open Misty saw him.

"Over here, Ash!" she called. He smiled and waked over to where she was.

"Thanks for coming," he said.

"No problem," Misty replied. "Now, what did you want to tell me that you needed me to come out here for?" Ash once again became serious. He knew what had to be said, and there was no better place or time than here and now.

"Misty, how much of our early days do you remember?" he asked. Misty thought about that for a while. To her those were the best days of her life, traveling all over the world with Ash without having to worry about her duties as a Gym Leader.

"Pretty much all of it," she replied. "Those days were the most fun I've ever had."

"Me too," Ash said. "In fact I'd never had as much fun as I did back then. That's why it was so hard to say goodbye when you had to leave." Misty could feel the depression in Ash's voice when he spoke of the time she had to return to take over the Gym. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I know what you mean," she said. "It was hard for me to say goodbye as well."

"That was the hardest thing I had to do," Ash said. "That day, I not only said goodbye to you. I said goodbye to a part of me." Misty was a bit confused. How could Ash have said goodbye to a part of himself that day. Unless…

"Misty, when you left you took a part of me with you, a part that you've had for a long time… my heart." Misty gasped. The one thing she had hoped for was finally happening. Ash was right here in front of her confessing his feelings for her. She listened intently, desperately trying to fight back the tears.

_"This is it, Ash. Time to bring it home."_ He took a deep breath and prepared to say that which had been on his mind for weeks.

"Misty, I realized that the reason the Hoenn League and the Battle Frontier were so hard was because, though I was physically there battling, my heart was with you. It had been ever since the day we parted," he said. "Brock, May and Max all cheered me on during my battles, and it helped a bit. But deep down it wasn't the same because the one person I wanted… no, that's not right… the one person I needed there was you." There was nothing holding the tears back now. Misty looked into Ash's eyes, tears filling her own.

"Ash… a-are you saying… what I think you're saying?"

"Yes, Misty… I love you. I always have and always will. I was just too afraid to tell you. But now, I can't hold my feelings in any longer." The next thing Ash knew Misty had thrown her arms around his neck and was hugging him tightly. Though it surprised him at first he returned her hug.

"I've waited for what seems like forever for you to say those words!" Misty cried.

"You… have?" Ash asked. They broke the hug and, after wiping the tears from her eyes, Misty looked Ash right in his eyes.

"Yes, because on that day you took a part of me with you," she replied. "Just like you said I took your heart with me back to Cerulean you took my heart with you back to Pallet Town." Ash looked at her.

"Misty… you mean?" She nodded.

"I love you too, Ash.," she said. "Like you I was too afraid to admit it, and also like you I can't keep them bottled inside me any longer." Ash smiled and pulled her into another hug. Of course Misty didn't object, relaxing into the embrace. After a few seconds Ash pulled away and reached into his pocket.

"What are you doing, Ash?" Misty asked.

"I got something for you," he said. He took the box out and opened it, showing Misty the gold necklace with the crystal raindrop jewel. Her eyes got big as she looked at the necklace.

"Ash, it's beautiful!" she said.

"Not as beautiful as you," he said. He took the necklace out of the box and walked behind Misty. He placed it around her neck and fastened it. Misty held the jewel in her hand and looked at it.

"You didn't have to get me anything," she said. "I know this cost you a lot."

"It did, but it was worth it," he replied.

"Thank you," Misty said.

"There's more. Look in the box," Ash said. Misty looked and saw a small card. She took it out and opened it:

**It may not be by name,**

**but you'll always be my beautiful Waterflower**

**Love, Ash**

Once again tears of happiness filled Misty's eyes. She looked at Ash, who could do nothing but smile.

"Every word of that is true," he said. Misty smiled as she put the card and the box down. She then looked at Ash and their eyes met. At that moment they both knew what they wanted to do. Almost as if they were two magnets attracted to each other the space between their faces slowly started to disappear. With mere inches separating them they paused, each one lost in the other's eyes. Ash reached up and placed his hand on Misty's cheek, wiping away a stray tear with his thumb. Then, the distance between the vanished as they shared their first kiss. It was everything they hoped for and more. All of the love they had for each other was spoken in that one moment, even though no words were said. After what seemed like hours but in reality was only a few minutes they two parted. They looked at each other and smiled.

"I love you, Ash."

"I love you too, Misty." With those few words said the two kissed again. Right then the clouds parted, letting the moon bathe them in its light. It was almost as if the heavens were bestowing their blessing on the two of them. The two parted after a longer period of time than the first.

"We should head back to the Gym. Everyone else is probably worried about us," Ash said.

"Okay," Misty replied. The two then left the lake, hands together and fingers intertwined, on their way back to the Gym

* * *

Flannery, Mark and Gloria were still up, waiting for Ash and Misty to get back. Mr. Moor had long since retired for the night, the battle against Team Rocket earlier wearing him out more than he thought. 

"Those two have been out for quite a while now," Gloria said. "You don't think anything happened to them, do you?"

"I wouldn't worry about them too much, dear," Mark replied. "They can take care of themselves just fine. They proved that when they beat team Rocket earlier."

"But they didn't bring any of their Pokémon with them. Ash even left his Pikachu behind," Gloria replied. Pikachu was over by the window, waiting for Ash and Misty to get back.

"I still believe they're fine," Mark said. "They just wanted some time to themselves." Just then Flannery walked into the room, holding a tray with three glasses on it.

"Still not back yet?" she asked as she placed the tray on the table. She, Mark and Gloria each took one.

"Not yet," Mark said.

"Man, whatever reason they had for going there must have been a good one," she said. At that moment Pikachu's ears perked up.

"Pikapi! Pikachupi! (Ash! Misty!)" Though they didn't understand much of what he said they did understand those two words. Flannery ran to the window and looked out.

"They're back!" she said.

"Thank goodness," Gloria said. "I wonder what they were doing?"

"I've got a pretty good idea," Flannery said, motioning for everyone to come look. Mark and Gloria went over and looked out the window. They saw Ash and Misty, walking hand-in-hand, smiling and occasionally talking and laughing. They all knew what that meant.

"They finally got together," Flannery said. Mark smiled at the new couple while Gloria had to wipe away a few tears.

"I'm so happy for them," she said. "They really do make a perfect couple."

"That they do," Mark said. "Well, we should leave them alone for tonight. I'm sure they'll tell us everything in the morning." With that the three of them walked out of the room, leaving Pikachu to greet Ash and Misty once they came inside.

* * *

After spending some time outside Ash and Misty finally made their way inside. However, much to their surprise, there was no one up. 

"I guess they got tired of waiting on us," Ash said.

"Guess so," Misty said. The two made their way through the house on their way to their room when they passed through the living room. There, something caught Ash's eye.

"Would you look at that," he said. In the window was a sleeping Pikachu.

"Little guy must have been watching for us to return," Ash said. Misty walked over and picked him up, careful not to wake him.

"He's going to be so shocked when he hears we're a couple," she said.

"Not too shocked I hope," Ash replied. They both quietly laughed at the joke before heading to their room for the night. They both knew the next day was the start of something new.

* * *

After it seemed impossible for him to get the words out Ash finally told Misty how he felt about her and was rewarded with a new girlfriend. With their feelings for each other now in the open what's next for the new couple? Find out in the final chapter of **Home is Where the Heart Is**! 

Please review


	6. Follow Your Heart

Okay, this chapter had me thinking for a long time but I finally got it finished. And now, for all those who have been patinetly (or not patiently) waiting, here is the final chapter.

**Chapter 6: Follow Your Heart**

Ash awoke the next morning. In his mind the events of last night seemed to be nothing more than a long sought-after dream. However, all it took was one look at the girl… no, angel sleeping next to him to let him know it was no dream.

_"She really loves me. Pikachu was right after all,"_ he said to himself. He smiled as he got up, careful not to wake Misty. He went to the window and opened it, letting the cool breeze flow into the room. Ash he stood in front of the open window enjoying the cool breeze a slight stirring behind him told him that Misty was waking up. He turned around just in time to see her open her eyes.

"Morning, beautiful," he said, smiling. Misty sat up on the side of the bed and looked at Ash. To her his smile outshined even the brightest sunrise.

"Good morning," she said, returning his smile. Ash walked over to the bed, leaned down and gently kissed Misty on the lips, which she returned. After the kiss Misty let out a content sigh and smiled.

"I could get used to waking up to that," she said.

"So could I," Ash replied. "So, you want to go tell the others? I'm sure they're interested in what we did last night."

"Yeah," she replied. "I mean, we were gone for quite a while last night." Misty got out of the bed and sat down at the desk in the room where her things were. She then took a brush out of her bag and proceeded to brush the tangles out of her hair. Once that was done she took out a rubber band and was about to put her hair into her trademark side-ponytail, but Ash stopped her.

"Leave it down," he said. "You look better with your hair down." Misty smiled and walked over to Ash. She placed her arms around his neck while had had his around her waist.

"You really think so?" she asked.

"I know so," he replied. The two then shared their second kiss of the day.

"So, shall we get going?" Ash asked.

"Just one minute," Misty replied. She reached back in her bag and took out the box with the necklace Ash bought her. After placing it around her neck she faced Ash.

"Okay. Now we can go," she said.

"Okay," Ash replied. They were about to walk out when Misty noticed something was missing.

"Hey! Where's Pikachu?" she asked. Ash looked around for his long-time Pokémon buddy, but he was no where to be found.

"I don't know," he replied. "Come to think of it he was gone when I woke up this morning."

"You don't think Team Rocket came back last night and took him, do you?" Misty asked, worry evident in her voice. Ash walked over and held her, trying to calm her down. As he held her he gently kissed the top of her head.

"Don't worry. I'm sure Pikachu's fine," he said. "He's probably with Flannery and everyone else."

"Yeah… you're probably right," Misty said. Convinced that she was over her slight fear Ash let go and backed away a bit.

"Come on. I think we've kept them waiting long enough," he said. He extended his hand to her. Misty smiled as she took Ash's hand in hers. The two then left the room on their way to the living room.

* * *

It was a typical morning for Flannery and her family. Mark and Gloria were inside having breakfast while Flannery and her grandfather were just coming back in from tending to the Pokémon.

"Everyone's doing great," Flannery said.

"That's good," Mark said. "After yesterday it's important that we keep them in fighting shape."

"That's true," Gloria said. "Ash and Misty won't always be here to fight for us." As soon as she mentioned them Ash and Misty walked in.

"Morning, everyone," Ash said.

"Good morning," Misty added.

"Well, you two sure slept in this morning," Mark said.

"We did?" Ash asked.

"You sure did," Gloria answered. "In fact it's almost noon." Ash and Misty looked over at the clock on the wall. Sure enough it read 11:57.

"Oh man! I didn't think we slept that long," Ash said.

"I know. We were supposed to let our Pokémon out earlier," Misty said.

"That's okay," Flannery said. "We took care of your Pokémon for you."

"Thanks," Ash said. "By the way has anyone seen…"

"Pikapi! (Ash!)" Before he could finish his question Ash was tackled by a small yellow blur. Fortunately Misty was there to keep him from falling over. Once Ash had regained his balance he focused on the Pokémon in his arms.

"So this is where you went," he said.

"Pi! (Yup!)" Pikachu replied. As Ash scratched Pikachu between his ears he looked over at Misty. She looked at him and immediately knew what his intentions were.

"Okay. Now that everyone's here we have something to say," Ash said. Everyone turned their attention to him. Before continuing with his announcement Ash wrapped his arm around Misty's waist and pulled her close to him.

"Misty and I are officially a couple now," he announced. Everyone in the room smiled, but didn't seem too shocked or surprised at the news. The reason came shortly after.

"We all saw when you two came home last night," Flannery said.

"What? But there wasn't anyone up when we came inside," Ash said. "We found Pikachu sleeping in the window."

"We were up when you two first got back. We went to sleep shortly after that," Mark explained.

"So there really was no need for us to tell you, was there?" Misty asked.

"No, but that doesn't mean we're not happy for you two," Gloria said. "In fact we all knew you two would get together eventually." The new couple smiled as they were quickly surrounded by a happy family.

"Way to go, sis," Flannery said.

"I'm so glad you found a boyfriend," Gloria said. "I can't wait until I'm a grandmother."

"Mom!" Misty was clearly embarrassed by her mother's outburst. However, that was soon forgotten as both she and Flannery saw the necklace Misty was wearing.

"Isn't that…" Before Flannery could finish her question Gloria answered her.

"It is," she said. "It's the same necklace I've been asking your father to get for me." Mark and Mr. Moor stopped taking with Ash so they could take a look at the necklace as well.

"That is the necklace you've been asking me to buy you," Mark said.

"Every time we came back to Lavaridge I tried to get your father to buy that very necklace," Gloria said, "but seeing it on you makes me glad he never did."

"It does look beautiful on Misty, but how did you come up with the money for it, Ash?" Mark asked. "I've seen how much it costs and it was quite a bit."

"It wasn't as difficult to pay for as you think," Ash said. "The rewards for trainers placing high in League competitions is pretty good. In fact I've been saving the money I've won from those competitions for years now. Of course I had a bit on hand just in case, and when I saw that necklace I knew I had to get it for Misty."

"I see," Mark said. "If you had enough to get that necklace just from your winnings then you must be more talented than we thought."

"Ash has placed well in every competition he's entered," Misty said. "He was Top 16 in Kanto, Champion of the Orange Islands, Top 8 in Johto and Hoenn and he just conquered the Battle Frontier." If Mark and the others weren't impressed before they were now.

"That's an impressive résumé you've got there," Mark said. "Any thought on where to go next?"

"Well, I was about to head to Sinnoh before I had to come to help Misty," Ash replied.

"I hope this didn't put too much of a damper on your plans," Gloria said. Ash looked at her, his trademark grin on his face.

"Are you kidding? If I hadn't taken this detour from my original plans Misty and I may never have gotten together," he replied. Misty moved up to Ash, a huge smile on her face, and kissed him.

"You know, for that reason alone I'm almost glad this little situation came to be," she said. "After all this helped me get back with my real family as well as find the best boyfriend a girl could ask for." In response to her heartfelt comments Ash gently kissed her back. Mark, Gloria and the rest of Misty's family were happy to see the relationship she and Ash had now. After they broke the kiss Ash thought of something.

"You know we should call everyone back in Kanto and let them know what's been going on over here," he said.

"Good idea, Ash," Misty replied. "I'm sure your mother will be happy to know you've got a girlfriend now."

"As will Daisy and the others about your new boyfriend," Ash replied. With that decision made Ash and Misty headed out of the room, hand-in-hand.

"Where are you two off to?" Mark asked.

"The Pokémon Center," Ash replied. "I hope you don't mind watching our Pokémon until we gat back."

"We'd be glad to," Flannery replied.

"Thanks," Ash replied.

"I'll pick up Azurill on our way out," Misty said.

"That's fine, dear," Gloria said.

"You two have fun while you're out," Mark said.

"We will," they said. Ash then called Pikachu onto his shoulder. Then, the couple and single Pokémon headed on their way out.

* * *

The scene at the Pokémon Center could only be described as joyful. While Ash spoke to his mother on one phone Misty was talking to Daisy on another.

"That's great, Misty!" Daisy said. "You have no idea how happy I am for the two of you!"

"Believe me I can tell," Misty replied.

"And I just love your necklace," Daisy said. "Ash must have emptied his pockets for that one."

"Well, he never did way how much it was but…"

"Mom!"

Misty couldn't help but giggle at Ash's outburst.

"What was that?" Daisy asked.

"Just one of Ash's many embarrassing moments courtesy of his mother," Misty replied. While Misty explained to Daisy what she meant Ash spoke with his mother.

"I know that's something you'd want but Misty and I are too young to think about that right now," Ash said.

"I know Ash, but it wouldn't hurt to at least talk about it," Delia replied. "You know how I feel about being a grandmother."

"I know, but we're just 15. We'll be 16 in a few months," Ash said. "Can't you at least let us live out our childhood to the fullest before we enter into parenthood?" Delia sighed in defeat. Though she wanted to have grandkids very badly she also knew that Ash was right.

"Okay, you win. No talks about grandkids yet," she said. "So, do you still plan on heading to Sinnoh?"

"Of course I do," Ash replied. Though he was happy to be back in Hoenn his desire to head to Sinnoh still burned as strong as Moltres's fire.

"Well then you'll be happy to hear that Tracey found out that there'll be more ships heading to the Sinnoh region next month," she said. Ash couldn't have been happier. Even Pikachu was psyched to hear that their trip to Sinnoh would resume.

"That's great new, Mom!" Ash said excitedly. Delia smiled seeing the energetic son she'd grown used to seeing.

"I'm glad you see it that way," she said. "So, I'll just have Tracey book two tickets and…"

"Wait… two?"

"That's right," Delia replied. "Misty is going with you, isn't she?" At that moment Ash froze. Pikachu immediately knew what was going through his mind. During their entire stay in Lavaridge Ash had never once mentioned leaving for Sinnoh or whether Misty wanted to come with him or not.

"I… I haven't asked her," Ash replied. Delia was a bit shocked to say the least.

"You haven't? But why?" she asked.

"Well, with everything that's happened since we got here I guess it just slipped my mind," he replied. His mother could understand that explanation completely. Based on what she heard from Ash she could understand that something like that could take a backseat to what's been happening.

"It's okay, dear," she replied.

"When's the last ship leaving?" Ash asked.

"Well, Tracey didn't say but I think he said around six weeks from now," she replied. Ash's face got serious.

"Seeing as it'll probably take me about two weeks to get from here to Pallet Town, and giving myself another week to make sure I have enough time to prepare, I have roughly three weeks to find out if Misty's coming with me or not," he said.

"That sounds about right," his mother replied. As Ash sat there thinking abut his current task he could hear Misty ending her call with Daisy.

"I've got to go, Mom," he said. "It was good talking with you."

"Same here," Delia said. "I'll see you when you come home… hopefully with Misty."

"Hopefully," Ash echoed. He hung up with his mother and went over to where Misty was waiting for him.

"Ready to head out?" he asked. Misty nodded. They walked out of the Pokémon Center. Ash was about to start on back towards the gym when Misty stopped him.

"You want to go get something to eat?" she asked. "It is lunchtime after all." Ash hadn't thought about that, but it did sound good to him.

_"This'll be the perfect time to talk to Misty about coming to Sinnoh with me,"_ he thought. "Sure. Where'd you want to eat?"

"Well, there was a small café I saw when we first arrived that I'd like to try," she replied.

"Okay," Ash said. "My treat, of course." Misty couldn't help but giggle.

"Well now you're being quite the gentleman now," she said.

"I have to," Ash replied. "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't offer to buy my girlfriend lunch?" Misty couldn't help but smile as she gave him a quick kiss. Then they headed off towards the small café Misty spoke of. While Misty just wanted to spend more time alone with Ash the trainer in question had his thoughts preoccupied with his task of telling Misty about his eventual trip to Sinnoh, and his desire to take her with him.

_"But what if she wants to spend more time with her family? She has over 10 years to catch up on… Oh man, what am I going to do if she says no?"_ That thought alone would occupy his mind for a while.

* * *

The two trainers and their Pokémon soon came upon the café Misty spoke of earlier, the Hot Stove Café. Once they arrived they found a table, one next to the window, and ordered. While they waited for their food to arrive Misty and Ash talked about everything that had happened since they arrived in Lavaridge. But as much as he wanted to continue with the conversation the words he and his mother had said back at the Pokémon Center were still fresh in his mind.

_"…he said around six weeks from now…"_

_"… I have roughly three weeks to find out if Misty's coming with me or not…"_

_"… I'll see you when you come home… hopefully with Misty…"_

_"Come home with Misty… If only it was that simple…"_ Ash wanted nothing more than to return home to Pallet Town and then leave for Sinnoh with Misty by his side, but he wasn't about to drag her away from her family if she didn't want to come no matter how badly he wanted her with him. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't hear Misty calling him.

"Hello? Earth to Ash? Are you listening?" Misty tried waving her hand in his face. That finally snapped him out of his thoughts and brought him back to the real world.

"Huh? What?"

"I've been calling you for the past five minutes, Ash," Misty said.

"Oh. Sorry about that. I've just got a lot on my mind right now," he replied.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Misty asked. Ash really didn't want to ruin the mood by talking about his upcoming trip to Sinnoh, but he realized that he'd have to sooner or later.

"My mother said there'll be ships leaving for Sinnoh next month," he said. Misty wasn't surprised to hear that Ash still wanted to go to Sinnoh, but ships leaving that soon meant her time with Ash was now limited.

"Oh," she said. "So, when are you leaving?"

"The last on is supposed to leave in six weeks so I still have three more weeks to spend out here," Ash replied.

"That soon huh," Misty said, getting more depressed with each passing moment. Ash decided to ask her the question now.

"Do… do you want to come with me?"

"What?!" She looked at Ash, wondering if she had heard him correctly.

"I asked if you wanted to come with me," he repeated. "My mother was under the impression that I was bringing you with me back to Pallet Town." Misty wanted nothing more than to go back to Pallet Town with him, and from there with him as he traveled to Sinnoh. However, there was one thing keeping her from doing that.

"I… I don't know, Ash," she replied. "I want to, but what about…" Ash raised his hand, silencing her.

"I know your family's important to you and I don't want to take you away from them if you'd rather stay," he said.

"That's what's making it hard to decide right now," Misty said.

"If it helps you don't have to decide right now," Ash said. "The last ship isn't leaving for another six weeks."

"So how long will you be staying then?" Misty asked.

"Three weeks," he replied. Though it sounded like a lot of time Misty saw it as a few short weeks. Ash could tell that this was bringing down her mood.

"Oh man, what are we doing?" he finally said. Misty looked at him, not sure what he meant.

"What do you mean?" Misty asked.

"We came here to enjoy ourselves and I'm just ruining the mood with all this talk about heading to Sinnoh," he replied. "We shouldn't let that ruin our time together no matter how long or short it may be." Misty thought briefly on what Ash said. He was right. They couldn't let the news of his trip back home so he could leave for Sinnoh ruin what time they had left. She looked at him and smiled.

"I don't know how you do it but you can always say something that'll make any bad situation better," she said. Ash returned her smile.

"I guess that's what makes me such a good boyfriend, huh," he replied. Misty leaned over and the two shared a quick kiss. Seconds later their food arrived.

"Well, let's eat," Ash said. Their lunch was filled with talks of their past adventures and other happy moments from their days traveling together.

* * *

After lunch the duo took a stroll around town. They didn't have any certain destination in mind. All they wanted was to spend some time alone with each other. Pikachu and Azurill were walking ahead of their trainers, giving them the privacy the Pokémon knew they wanted. Even though they were enjoying themselves they knew they would have to return to the Gym eventually and tell everyone else the news.

"So, when did you want to head back?" Ash asked.

"I guess we should head back now," Misty replied. Ash could tell Misty was feeling depressed. Truth was he was feeling a bit depressed himself. However, he didn't want the mood to stay gloomy.

"Come on. Cheer up," he said. "We've got three weeks to live it up. Let's make the best of it." Once again Misty couldn't help but smile at Ash optimism.

"You're right, Ash," she said. With that taken care of the two of them, hand-in-hand, made their way back to the Gym.

* * *

Ash and Misty returned to the Gym later that day. There, they informed everyone of Ash's upcoming trip to Sinnoh and his desire to have Misty by his side when he leaves. Of course Misty expressed her desire to go with Ash, but also her need to re-establish her bonds with her family. They were glad to hear that Ash had found a way to get to Sinnoh, but they knew that the decision for Misty to either go or stay was a difficult one. They hoped she would make the correct one, but rather than focus on that they decided to do as Ash suggested and make the next three weeks as fun as they could.

The weeks passed by quicker than anyone had anticipated. Ash found himself standing outside the Gym on night, deep in thought. He was to leave for Pallet in the morning and he still hadn't gotten an answer from Misty.

_"Maybe she doesn't want to come with me,"_ he thought. Knowing he had a long day ahead of him tomorrow Ash turned to head back inside. However, when he turned around he saw Misty standing a few feet away.

"Misty? What are you doing up?" he asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," she replied.

"Yeah… well, I was doing some thinking about tomorrow," he replied. Misty walked over and stood next to him. She took his hand and laced her fingers in-between his.

"Misty… I have to know…" She knew this was coming. That one question had occupied her thoughts for the past few days.

"Will you come with me?" he asked. Her answer was the hardest thing she had to say.

"Ash… I really want to… but…" She didn't have to say any more.

"You're… not coming," he finished for her. The quietness in his voice gave Misty the wrong impression.

"It's not that I don't want to go with you," she said in her defense. "In fact I want nothing more than to come with you, but…"

"It's okay, Misty. I know what you're trying to say," Ash said, his voice filled a bit more feeling. "I know how much you want to bond with your family. After all it has been over 10 years since you saw them."

"And that's what makes this so hard," Misty said. Ash didn't know what to say. Actually, there was nothing he could say. So he did the only thing that came to mind. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. Misty placed her hands on his chest and put her head in between.

"I wish you didn't have to go," she said.

"So do I, but I have to," Ash said. "This is my dream, something you told me never to give up."

"I know," Misty said. Throughout their entire journey together and even after she went back to Cerulean Misty had told Ash time and time again to never give up on his dreams no matter what. This was the one time, however, she almost regretted ever giving him that advice. However, she knew it was for the best. Right then she backed up out of the hug so she could look Ash in his eyes.

"Ash… I want you to promise me something."

"Anything," he replied.

"When you make it to the Sinnoh finals… I want you to win," she said. Ash smiled and gently kissed her lips.

"For you… it's as good as done," he said. Then, as if to make it official, the two kissed. At that moment the feeling of sleep started to come over both of them.

"Come on. Let's head in," Ash said. Misty agreed and the two trainers headed inside for what could possibly the last night they would share together for a long time.

* * *

Morning came, but it was not meet with much enthusiasm. No one spoke during breakfast, everyone too busy thinking Ash's soon-to-come departure. Though everyone was sad to know he would soon be leaving none were as sad as Misty. In her mind it had only been a short three weeks ago that they had proclaimed their love for each other. And now, the love of her life was being taken from her.

"It's not fair," she said to no one in particular. She was sitting in the room she shared with Ash, Azurill being her only companion at the time.

"Azu Rill, Azurill? (What's not, Mommy?)" the small Pokémon asked. Misty picked up Azurill and placed her on her lap.

"I have to say goodbye to Ash in a bit," she explained.

"Rill? Azu Azu Azurill Azu Rill? (Why? Aren't you going with him?)" Azurill asked. Misty sighed and looked down at the floor.

"I wish I was, but I'm not," she answered.

"Azu Rill, Azurill? (Why not, Mommy?)" Azurill asked.

"Well, I have my family here to consider," Misty replied.

"Rill Azu Azurill? (Isn't Ash family?)" Misty couldn't answer. Azurill was right. Though it wasn't in the traditional sense Ash had indeed become a member of her family. As Azurill hopped off her lap and went to join Misty's other Pokémon the Water trainer thought about what her young Pokémon had said.

_"She's right. Ash has become a part of my family… just not the part I can stay with."_ Misty looked at the clock and saw it was almost time for Ash to leave.

"Might as well get this over with," she said. With a heavy heart Misty left the room to go see Ash off.

* * *

It was a moment everyone knew was coming, yet no one wanted to arrive. With the Sinnoh League calling Ash prepared to set off back to Pallet Town. However, Misty would not be coming with him. Everyone had gathered in front of the Gym, Pikachu on Ash's shoulder.

"I guess this is goodbye," Ash said. "I had a lot of fun while I was here."

"So did we," Mark said.

"You know, you could always stop by if you ever come back to Hoenn," Flannery said.

"I'll do that," Ash answered.

"Good luck in the Sinnoh League, Ash," Gloria said.

"Yes, though we all doubt you'll need it," Mr. Moor said. After receiving good wishes from everyone else Ash turned to Misty, waiting for her to say something. However, she was silent. Ash knew this would be a difficult time for her with him leaving. He walked over to her.

"Misty…" Though her head was down Ash could still see tears falling to the ground. All that did was make it harder for him to want to leave.

"Please, Misty. Don't cry," he said. As he stood there Misty surprised him when she suddenly threw her arms around him, crying into his chest. Unable to think of anything to say to her he did the only thing he could. He held her, trying to comfort her. Finally, after a few minutes, Misty's crying quieted down.

"I… I'll miss you," Misty said, finally breaking the silence.

"I'll miss you too," Ash replied, "but you know I'll come back after the Sinnoh League."

"I know," Misty replied. "It's just all the time between now and then with me being here in Hoenn and you being all the way over in Sinnoh. We'll be worlds apart."

"That's not necessarily true," Ash said. Misty looked at him, wondering what he meant.

"Though we may be worlds apart physically, my heart will always be with you wherever you go," he said. Misty thought about what he had said and smiled.

"You know, you're right," she said. "Your heart will always be with me, just like mine will always be with you." The two trainers looked at each other, getting lost in each others eyes. Then, they shared one final kiss. They reluctantly broke the kiss.

"Well, I guess I should be going now," Ash said regrettably.

"Yeah," Misty replied. "You be careful."

"Aren't I always?" Ash replied.

"Yeah," Misty said. "Watch out for him, Pikachu."

"Pi Ka (I will)," the small mouse replied. Nothing else needed to be said. Everything that needed to be said had been said. With that Ash turned and started walking away from the Lavaridge Gym… away from the girl he had given his heart to.

"Goodbye Ash… I love you," Misty whispered. As she watched him walk away she couldn't help but let a few more tears fall to the ground. After a few minutes Ash had almost walked out of sight. Everyone else had went inside already, but Misty remained outside. She wanted to be able to see Ash for as long as she could. Minutes later Ash had completely walked out of sight. Misty sighed and lowered her head.

"Well… he's gone," she said. Having no reason to stay outside she turned and walked back inside the Gym. Upon going through the door she was immediately confronted by Mark, Gloria and Flannery.

"What are you still doing here, Misty?" Gloria asked.

"What do you mean? I live here," she answered.

"We know that, but shouldn't you be with Ash right now?" Gloria asked.

"What?" Misty said, surprised.

"We all know you want to be with him right now instead of here with us," Mark said. Misty knew they spoke the truth, but she had made her decision.

"Misty, don't let us keep you away from your happiness," Mark said. "If your heart is telling you to go with Ash, then by all means go." This was something Misty didn't expect, but was glad to be hearing.

"Are… are you sure?" she asked.

"What do we have to do, spell it out for you?" Flannery jokingly asked.

"What we want you to do is follow your heart," Gloria said. At that moment she couldn't have been any happier. Misty threw her arms around them in a family hug.

"Oh, thank you! You have no idea how much this mean!" she said.

"We have a pretty good idea," Mark said. Then, Flannery handed Misty her backpack.

"I went ahead and packed all your things," she said. "All you Pokémon are in their balls and ready to go."

"Thanks, sis," Misty said. She slipped her backpack on and headed towards the front door. Once she got there she paused and looked back at her family.

"Thanks again," she said. "I love you all."

"Keep in touch, dear," Gloria said.

"Remember, you'll always have a home to come back to," Mark said.

"I know, but right now my home is where my heart is… and that's with Ash." With those final words Misty ran out the door to catch up with Ash.

_"Wait for me, Ash. I'm on my way."_

* * *

Ash had been waiting at the entrance to the city for almost 10 minutes. After their painful goodbye he was sure that Misty would come after him, but sadly he hadn't seen her. He let out a sigh as the realization that she wasn't coming set in.

"Pi Ka Kachu Pika Pikachupi Pi Pichu (I was really hoping Misty was coming)," Pikachu said.

"So was I," Ash replied, giving Pikachu a scratch behind the ears. Feeling greatly depressed Ash turned to continue on his way out of the city when…

"Ash! Hey Ash! Wait!" He froze, wondering if he was hearing things. He turned around just in time to catch Misty as she flew into his arms. After needing a few seconds to catch her breath Misty stood up.

"I… didn't think I'd catch you… before you left," she said.

"I was starting to wonder if you'd actually come," Ash said.

"You mean… you were waiting on me?" Misty asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "I was hoping you'd come and try to stop me from leaving." Misty smiled at his confession.

"Well, I'm not here to stop you," she said. "I'm here because I'm going with you." Ash was surprised and happy at the same time.

"That's great, Misty!" he cheered. "But, what made you change your mind?"

"My family," she said. "They wanted me to go because they knew that would make me happy." Right then he made a mental note to thank them the next chance he got.

"I'm glad they got you come, because having you by my side will make me happy too" Ash said. The two slowly moved in and shared a passionate kiss. After breaking the kiss they got lost in each others eyes until Pikachu snapped them out of it with a loud cheer of 'Pika!'.

"Sounds like Pikachu's ready to hit the road," Misty said.

"And with you here so am I," Ash said. "Next stop, Pallet Town!"

"And from there, Sinnoh!" Misty added. The two trainers then walked out of Lavaridge City, hand-in-hand, with Pikachu walking a few feet in front of them. They didn't know what new adventures awaited them in Sinnoh, but they knew as long as they had each other they would be able to face them without fear. And of course Misty knew that no matter what she had a home to come back to in Lavaridge Town, but as for now her home was right by Ash's side.

End.

* * *

And thus this chapter of Ash and Misty's lives comes to an end. But does that mean their story is over? Maybe, maybe not. I may write a sequel to this if it is requested.

For everyone who read this fic, I thank you. For those who submitted reviews I thank again. You are the reasons I do this.

Read, review, and I hoped you enjoyed


End file.
